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THE MAMBI-LAND, 



ADVENTURES 

OF 

A HERALD CORRESPONDENT 
IN CUBA. 



BY 

JAMES J. O'KELLY. 






PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 
1874- 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by 

JAMES J. O'KELLY, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 






n 






TO 

HIS BROTHER JOURNALISTS 
THIS WORK 

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
BY THE AUTHOR. 

May i, 1874. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE MAMBI-LAND. 



PAGE 

On board the " City of Havana" — New York Bay by Moonlight — 
The Coast of Cuba in Sight — The Morro — The Harbor of Ha- 
Yana — Boats and Boatmen — The Custom-House — Life in Ha- 
vana — The Ayuntamiento — The Tacon Theatre — Interior of the 
House — Painted Ladies — In Cages — Permission to pass the 
Spanish Lines refused . . . . . . . .II 

CHAPTER II. 

CUBAN TRAVEL. 

My Prospects — I set out " at my own Risk" — Cuban Ferry-boat — 
Strange Traveling Companions — Aspect of the Country — Sur- 
veillance over Passengers — The Guardia Civil, and Colored 
Persons — Troubles of the Celestials — On the Outerskirt of the 
Insurrection — Apparition of an old Ironsides — Villa Clara — 
Cuban Hotel 37 

CHAPTER III. 

SLAVERY. 

Visit to a Slave Plantation — Herald Commissioner as a Prospect- 
ive Slave-driver — Castilian Hospitality — The Overseer's Cour- 
tesy — A Ride through the Cane-fields — The Slaves' Quarters — 
The Slave Children — Lunch — Assembling the Human Chattels 53 

1* 5 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

ON THE CONFINES OF CUBA LIBRE. 

PAGE 

Failure to penetrate into Camarguey — No Guides procurable — 
Cienfuegos — Voyage along the South Coast — Las Tunas — 
Night at a Cuban Fonda — Suspicious Companions — Pleasure of 
Cuban Travel — Waiting to be potted — Spanish Soldiers' Views 
of the Insurgents — Santo Espiritu — Alarmist Warnings — Man- 
hunting — Poverty — Voyage to Santiago de Cuba . . -74 

CHAPTER V. 

CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 

Santiago de Cuba — Introduction to Brigadier Morales de los Rios 
— Invitation to accompany a Spanish Expedition against the 
Insurgents — Colonel Sostrada's Courtesy — The Troops in 
Marching Order — Introduction to the Officers of the San Quin- 
tin Battalion— On the War-path — The Halt — Spanish Commis- 
sariat — Sick Soldiers — The Spanish Troops on the March — 
Night Encampment — Dining on Campaign — Generous Hospi- 
tality of the Spanish Officers — The Reveille — Counter Orders 
— Ride with Lieutenant-Colonel Lopez — Slave-owners and 
Soldiers — The Cubans and the Peninsulars . . . .81 

CHAPTER VI. 

PREPARING TO RUN THE GAUNTLET. 

Return to Santiago de Cuba — Stabs in the Dark — The Debatable 
Land — An Invitation withdrawn — Curious Conduct of a Cuban 
Planter — The Reign of Terror — Refugees in the Wood . . 103 

CHAPTER VII. 

IN SEARCH OF THE MAMBI-LAND. 

My First Expedition — Cuban Town in the Interior — Lonely Ride 
through the Country — Pursued by Auras — Ti-Arriba — My Quar- 
ter — Los Voluntarios — Esperanza — Herald Ball — Visit to a 
Fortified Ingenio . . . . . . . . .111 



CONTENTS. j 

CHAPTER VIII. 

CAPTURED BY THE SPANIARDS. 

PAGB 

In Search of Guillermon — The Black Blue-Beard — My Arrest in 
Ramon Las Yeguas — A Spanish Dogberry — My Portrait taken 
— Sent to the Tower— Rumors from Cuba Libre — Set at Lib- 
erty — Proffered Hospitality rejected — Night Visit to a Cafitale 
— On the Right Track at last . . . . . . .124 

CHAPTER IX. 

ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 

Return to Santiago de Cuba — Expedition to Cambute — Interview 
with English Mine-director — The Road to Cambute — The Two 
Roads — A Plunge into the Woods — Flanking a Spanish Garri- 
son — French Hospitality — On the Wrong Road — Arrest in 
Palma Sorianna — Scare among the Officers — " It is Disgrace- 
ful" — O'Ryan's Instructions — "To be shot as a Spy" — The 
False Alarm — The Mambi are coming — To Arms . . .132 
• 

CHAPTER X. 

MENACING ATTITUDE OF THE AUTHORITIES. 

Return to Santiago de Cuba — Interview with Morales de los 
Rios — Conditional Promise — Threat to shoot me as a Spy — 
The Cuban Laborantes ........ 153 

CHAPTER XI. 

NEWS FROM THE MAMBIS. 

A Mysterious Letter — Rendezvous in the Woods — Is it a Trap? — 
Phantoms of Treachery — The Risk accepted — The Ride out — 
Thoughts on the Way — The Mysterious Ceiha — Footsteps in 
the Dark — QuienVa? — Cuba Libre — My Escort . . . 160 



8 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XII. 

IN CUBA LIBRE AT LAST. 

PAGE 

Mambi Hospitality —Los Insurrectos as they are and as they are 
painted — Cuban Warfare — The Young Mambis— Burning Cu- 
ban Encampments — My First Ball in Mambi- Land — Touching 
Incident — Blessing the Children . . . . • .181 

CHAPTER XIII. 

LIFE IN CUBA LIBRE. 

A Horse Adventure — Dining on Horse-flesh — Arrival of Escort 
— Rights of Property in Mambi-Land — March to Tempii — 
Morning in the Forest — Reception by Colonel Matias Vega — 
Cuban Encampment — Mambi Industries .. . . .192 

CHAPTER XIV. 

IN SEARCH OF CESPEDES. 

Skirting Palma Sorianna — Witness First Military Operation — 
Cutting the Telegraph-Wires — Over old Battle-Grounds — 
Bivouac in the Woods — Graves in the Forest — Unburied Skulls 
— Camping-Ground of the Cubans — The Lost Child — Fowling 
under Difficulties ......... 202 

CHAPTER XV. 

ON THE WAR PATH. 

Calisto Garcia's Camp — Meeting with Generals Gomez and Ca- 
listo Garcia — The Arrival of Troops in Camp — Colonel Peralta 
wounded — Cuban Congressmen— The Baile in Cuba Libre — 
The Voudou Dance — March to Cafiadon — Provoking the Span- 
iards — Fatal Reconnoissance — Destruction of Potreros — Battle 
of Jiguani — After the Battle — Borne back on his Shield — Visit 
to the Field-Hospital — Carrying off the Wounded — El Silen- 
cioso — The Spanish Wounded . . . . . .214 



CONTENTS. g 

CHAPTER XVI. 

WITH CES PEDES. 

PAGB 

Message from Cespedes — March through the Mountains of Jigu- 
ani — The Camp at Rio Azul — Interview with Cespedes — His 
Views on the Revolution — Opinion of Castelar and of the 
Spanish Republic — Breakfast with Cespedes — Life at the White 
House in Cuba Libre — Sufferings of Cespedes and his Staff — 
I alarm the Cuban Camp — Offer to send me to Jamaica . . 239 

CHAPTER XVII. 

HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 

Fortitude of the Mambis — Wonders of the Forest — Nature aiding 
the Mambis — Jutia Hunt — Digging for Boniatos — The Cuban 
Kitchen — A Forest De : eunei - — The Thug of the Forest — My 
Life in Cuba Libre — March to Bayamo — Mambi Theatricals — 
A Patriot's Gift — Perilous Adventure ..... 263 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 

The Dominican Guerrillero — Arrival of Presidential Party — Tomas 
Estrada — A Sad History — Raids on Spanish Settlements — Good 
News — Desertion of Garrisons of Punta Piedra and Congo — 
Camp of El Macho — Spanish Prisoner of War — Cuban Court- 
martial — A Memorable Bath — Spanish Officer shot — Oratory in 
Presence of the Dead . . . . . . . .281 

CHAPTER XIX. 

RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 

Adieu to the Mambi-Land — Capturing Wild Cattle — Night March 
in the Woods — Levying Contributions — Camped near the Span- 
ish Outposts — An Unpleasant Rencontre — Arrival in Manzanillo 
— Presentation to Consul — Scene in Caballo Blanco — Visit the 
Governor of the Town — My Arrest — Sent to Fort Gerona — My 



fo CONTENTS. 

PAGK 

Quarters — The Military Inquisition — Brought before Court-mar- 
tial at Night — Alarmed — Four Hundred Thousand Dollars for 
Cespedes, Dead or Alive — Guarded at Sight — The Reign of 
Terror in Prison — Sentinel placed in my Cell — Government 
offers to bribe me— Arrival of British Gunboat — Spanish Au- 
thorities change Tactics — Bound with Ropes and shipped to 
Manzanillo . " . . ... . . . . 294 



CHAPTER XX. 

PRISON EXPERIENCE. 

The Influence of the Plover — Bound with Ropes, and conveyed 
under Guard to Santiago de Cuba — The Morro Castle — In the 
Hands of Burriel — Orders for my Removal to Havana — Sent to 
the Cabanas — Immured in a Pestilential Dungeon — Change of 
Quarters — Two imprisoned Herald Correspondents — Castelar 
orders me to be sent to Spain — The Voyage — The Carcel Na- 
cional of Santander — Madrid — Released — Conclusion . . 342 



THE MAMBI-LAND; 

OR, 

ADVENTURES OF A HERALD CORRESPONDENT IN CUBA. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE MAMBI-LAND. 

On board the " City of Havana" — New York Bay by Moonlight — The 
Coast of Cuba in Sight — The Morro — The Harbor of Havana — 
Boats and Boatmen — The Custom-House — Life in Havana — The 
Ayuntamiento — The Tacon Theatre — Interior of the House — 
Painted Ladies — In Cages — Permission to pass the Spanish Lines 
refused. 

Dim, mystic, and clothed in awful shadows, there 
floats on the edge of the American continent an un- 
known country. Mirage-like, it looms up at intervals 
on the horizon in gloomy grandeur ; and, when its form 
and general features seem about to reveal themselves, 
it fades away from the vision and leaves only indis- 
tinct impressions behind. But it fades not forever : 
again it appears, and the evidences of its existence 
are perceptible to the senses. This mysterious coun- 
try is the Mambi-Land. It is hid from our view by 
the war-clouds which obscure its frontiers and veil its 

ii 



j 2 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

territory from the gaze of the outer world. The clash 
of arms and the thunder-roar of guns that come borne 
on the winds, mingled with shrieks of battle and 
anguished cries for help, assure us that the dim and 
indistinct country is no dream-land, but the abiding- 
place of men with the same instincts, hopes, and pas- 
sions as ourselves. The land of the Mambi is to the 
world a shadow-land, full of doubts and unrealities. 
It is a legend, and yet a fact. It is called by many 
names, yet few know where begins or ends its frontier. 
Spaniards call it the Manigua, or Los Montes, Ameri- 
cans talk of it as Free Cuba, and those who dwell 
within its confines, Cuba Libre, or the Mambi-Land. 
It possesses no cities, no pomps, no splendors ; it is 
bathed in sunshine, and yet bedewed with tears, — 
often tears of blood. Indistinct it rises on the horizon, 
phantom-like it fades at the approach of the traveler, 
who yet feels and knows that its territory surrounds 
him on every side. Only in the depths of the silent 
forest does this mysterious land take tangible form 
and express itself in organized communities. Its 
limits may be vaguely marked by the shores of Cuba; 
for even in the Spanish strongholds the dominion of 
the Mambi is spread over Cuban hearts. There are 
two Cubas, Spanish and free Cuba, or Mambi-Land. 
The slave-holding, sugar-producing Queen of the 
Antilles, with her legions of fierce voluntarios, has 
become commonplace, while the vague, unvisited 
territory of Cuba Libre is full of romantic interest. 
Few from the outer world have crossed its shifting 
frontier, so full of unknown perils and awe-inspiring 
mystery. Like the fabled garden of the Hesperides, 
the frontiers of the Mambi-Land are guarded by mon- 



THE MAMBT-LAND. j* 

sters ready to devour the rash intruder. The dragon 
of the fable has been replaced by the voluntario, the 
soldier, and the executioner; but the crime of passing 
beyond the forbidden confines is not the less rigor- 
ously and savagely punished. Death is the doom 
decreed by Spanish law against whoever dares to 
cross the borders of the mystic Mambi-Land. Some 
have doubted its very existence, and declared it to be 
a creation evoked from the rank imagination of an 
evil-working race called Laborantes. Before me no 
impartial witness from the outside world had ever 
crossed the mysterious frontier to lift up the cloud 
that hid from view the strange land. Alone, among 
the bookmakers, have I visited the forbidden region ; 
moved and dwelt among the inhabitants of the silent 
forests, the new nation growing into life ; partaken of 
their cheer, joined in their revels, assisted at their 
deaths, accompanied them to battle, and witnessed 
their constancy in defeat, their exaltation in the 
moment of victory. 

In the following pages I shall present to the reader 
an account of the difficulties and dangers encountered 
and overcome on my way to the Mambi-Land, and 
faithful pictures of the habits and modes of life of the 
dwellers in the woods. They will be seen in their 
leaf-covered huts and in their camps, employed in the 
labors of peace and war. They will tell to the reader, 
in their own words, their hopes, aims, and resolution. 
What I saw and heard will be passed in panorama 
before the reader, until he shall see the unknown land 
grow up in form and color to his mind's eye ; and 
he shall behold, through the leaves of this book, as 
through the foliage of the forest, glimpses of life in 

z 



T4 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



the Mambi-Land. Why I went on the perilous expe- 
dition to discover the semi-fabulous Cespedes and his 
Mambi legions ; how I lived among them ; and how, a 
prisoner in the hands of the Spaniards, I was snatched 
by a saving Providence from the edge of the grave, 
will be told simply and without exaggeration. 

Towards the close of the year 1872, the New York 
Herald, wishing to throw light on the Cuban insur- 
rection, sent a correspondent to Cuba, with orders to 
see Cespedes, the President of the Cuban Republic. 
The correspondent found the mission so hazardous 
and full of danger that he abandoned it. Mr. James 
Gordon Bennett then intrusted the mission to me, 
with the following characteristic instructions : " Go 
into the Cuban lines, see Cespedes and other important 
leaders, give a fair account of their position, and bring 
back reliable information of the prospects of the insur- 
rection ; draw upon the office for whatever funds you 
may need." 

My course of action was left free. It was under- 
stood that I was to succeed. It mattered little what 
the cost should be so that I saw Cespedes or his suc- 
cessor, and furnished the Herald with the required 
information about the Cuban insurrection. My first 
care was to visit Madame Cespedes, and endeavor to 
glean from her some information as to the whereabouts 
of her husband. But, though willing to give me every 
assistance, she could only furnish the vaguest hints 
as to the regions in which he was likely to be found. 
Other Cubans were applied to, with no better success ; 
and, except good wishes and some letters of introduc- 
tion to the generals commanding in the field, the 
Cubans in New York could g;ive me no aid. Intro- 



THE MA MB I- LA XD. 



15 



ductions to sympathizers in Cuba were not to be 
thought of; and so it would be necessary to grope 
my way into the insurgent camps, which existed 
somewhere, but no one knew exactly where. My 
preparations were soon completed, and on the 14th 
of December, 1872, I embarked on the "City of 
Havana" for Cuba. 

The mail steamer swung out into the river about 
four o'clock p.m., amid the waving of handkerchiefs 
and kissing of hands that usually accompany tempo- 
rary separations. There were some tears shed by a 
few extremely sensitive or lachrymose people, who 
either could not help it, or thought it was the proper 
thing to do ; but, for the most part, the scene was 
gay and lively. There were touching scenes also ; 
for, among the passengers, were invalids going south, 
as a last resort ; and, as their anxious friends bade 
them good-by, with words of encouragement and 
cheer, it was only too evident that there existed an 
underlying sentiment that the parting would be an 
eternal adieu. It was curious to notice the fleeting 
expression of pain and sorrow passing over the faces 
of the assistants in these scenes, and the brave en- 
deavors made to conceal the truth from the sufferers. 
But the greater number of the passengers were of a 
different type, — people who looked forward to the 
trip as a means of pleasure or profit. These chatted 
gayly, and seemed rather to enjoy the fuss their friends 
were making about them, and some were even so 
ungrateful as to look upon their friends as bores. 

The evening was calm and the harbor was bathed in 
moonlight, and consequently most of the passengers 
were on deck to watch the receding shores of native 



1 6 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

land. The shore looked misty and indistinct in the cold, 
clear moonlight. Here and there the twinkling light 
from the distant windows called up pictures of the 
happy home-life we were leaving behind. It is impos- 
sible to find anything more delightful than New York 
Bay on such a night. We had left Sandy Hook behind 
us, when steam was let off, and the speed of the vessel 
began to slacken. We knew that the pilot was about 
to leave us. We crowded the side of the vessel to 
see him descend into his mysterious little boat, and 
charge him with our final adieus to native land. It is 
the work of a moment : he drops over the vessel's 
side, sliding down into the frail-looking boat that is 
waiting to receive him, and is rowed away into the 
ever-deepening shadows, until he becomes a speck, and 
finally is lost to our sight. Just at this moment we pass 
pilot-boat No. 7, looking like a fairy craft in the moon- 
light. Her lines are sweeping and graceful, and the 
cordage and rigging are so clearly defined in the silver 
light of the cold moon that they seem like a delicate 
web. It was just one of those pictures that nature 
makes, full of admirably-combined effects, — broad, yet 
delicate and suggestive. 

One by one the passengers retired, and I was left 
alone to contemplate the beauties of the night ; above, 
the clear sky with its millions of twinkling stars ; 
below, the phosphorescent sea, bathed in moonlight, 
and flecked with the foam of our gallant sea-horse, 
that plowed onward, panting and straining every 
nerve, overcoming every obstacle and carrying us gal- 
lantly on our moonlit way. At last I was forced to 
turn into the little state-room, and coiled myself up 
on a narrow shelf that appeared to me to be not more 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



17 



than five feet long. It was covered with a faultlessly- 
white counterpane, on which stood out in bold relief, 
in red letters, the words, " City of Havana." The 
horribly monotonous motion of the screw prevented 
my going to sleep for some time, but tired nature gave 
way and I dozed off. At length morning dawned, but 
let me draw a veil over the occurrences of this day. 
Suffice it to say that Scotch ale, brandy-and-water, 
and other resources were called upon in vain. The 
decks were deserted except by a few of those men 
who seem to have been intended by nature for sea- 
gulls or porpoises. They look into your state-room 
with provoking coolness to assure you that it is 
splendid weather, only a little fresh, and advise you to 
get up and walk about a little. 

The third day out sees most of us on deck ; no one 
inclined to admit he has been sick, but only a little 
squeamish, you know. 

We had already left behind the bleak northern clime, 
and the day was warm as in our summer-time.- We 
seemed to glide through a palpitating sea of molten 
glass, the balmy air producing that exquisite, sensuous 
feeling which is only felt in the neighborhood of the 
tropics, and enabling us to bear the monotony of the 
sea-voyage with equanimity, for here the sense of life 
is pleasure enough. On Thursday morning the coast 
of Cuba looms up in the distance, seen vaguely through 
the morning mist. Over the dark, shadowy, purple- 
tinted outline of the coast rise immense piles of 
cumulus clouds grand and impressive, that threaten to 
pass over us in storm before we reach the port ; but, 
as the sun shines out, dissipating the mists and bathing 
the aerial regions in vaporous hues, the cloud-masses 



1 8 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

sail along the sky and reveal the deep, clear azure of 
the firmament. My confidence returns, and I go into 
my state-room to make final preparations for disem- 
barking. We were nearer to Havana than I imagined; 
and, long before the last strap of my trunk had been 
buckled, the grim mass of the Morro Castle had come 
clearly into view. It is an imposing-looking structure, 
and evidently very strong. It is mounted with heavy 
Dahlgren guns, and is, from situation and solidity of 
construction, a very formidable work. It is situated 
on the left of the harbor as we enter. On the right 
the Batteria de la Reina, a semi-circular fort on the 
opposite side of the harbor's mouth, affords it efficient 
support. Both works are -dominated by an important 
fort behind the Batteria de la Reina. The light-house 
is on the left of the port, and bears on it in large letters 
the inscription, " O'Donnell, 1844." As we pass it 
the harbor opens to our view. It is narrow at the en- 
trance, but, as we proceed, it widens into a sheet of 
water, irregular in form, of considerable extent. On 
all sides low ranges of hills protect it from the violence 
of the winds, so as to render it a remarkably safe 
anchorage. 

The narrow passage is defended at intervals by old 
batteries, that recall the time when the Spanish flag 
swept the southern seas in all the haughty pride of 
unchecked conquest. To-day these batteries but too 
truly reflect the changed fortunes of the Iberian nation. 
The old stones remain, but grown gray under the in- 
fluence of time. The ravages of age are only made 
the more noticeable by the efforts of the moderns to 
conceal them. New cement has been placed in the 
interstices, and the old brass guns that were young in 



THE MAMBI-LAND. IQ 

the days of King Philip peep out from the crenelated 
batteries with a senile curiosity and impotence. They, 
however, give to the place an air of antiquity that 
more than compensates the traveler for their want of 
efficiency. 

The city lies to the right as we enter, on a flat 
tongue of land, between the harbor and the open 
sea. Above the mass of houses rise towers and lofty 
steeples, the whole jumbled together, presenting a 
scene unrivaled in picturesque effect. The square, solid 
houses, painted yellow, and green, and blue, rise up 
in exquisite confusion, in which ever-varying grada- 
tions of light and shade, commingling with brilliantly 
contrasting color- effects, give to the scene a brightness 
and joyousness we never find in northern climes. In 
the view of Havana there is much of the East. The 
monotony of the architecture is somewhat relieved by 
the varying height of the houses, which are painted to 
suit the fancy of their owners. For this purpose a 
kind of distemper is used. The prevailing color is 
dirty yellow, relieved by green, brown, blue, or red. 
White, with appropriate relief, is not uncommon. 
Brilliant colored awnings also shade the streets, and 
give them a bright and gay appearance. The shops, 
too, are open, no doors or glass being used, and the 
rich merchandise piled up within catches the eye of 
the passer-by. The sight is not dazzled by an eternal 
blistering white. So well is the sunlight absorbed 
by those colors that one can look about, even when 
the sun is at its height, without the sensation of being 
blinded. 

The interior slopes of the lower hills, on whose 
summits the lines of fortification are continued, are 



20 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

clothed with verdure ; here and there little clusters of 
white houses with red tile roofs, and some sparsely 
planted trees in their vicinity, present a picturesque 
effect that is perfectly delightful. But what adds more 
than perhaps anything else to the charm of the har- 
bor, are the lumbering passenger-boats, that seem to 
belong to another age. These boats resemble some- 
what a rude kind of gondola, but are propelled by 
sails : they have only one mast, which supports a 
square sail, by which the boat is principally managed. 
The velocity with which these craft dash about is 
absolutely marvelous. 

As soon as we had cast anchor a cloud of these 
boats came scudding round us, and it was a beautiful 
sight to see them moving about in ever-changing 
groups, offering every instant new combinations of 
color. They are of all sizes, forms, and colors, accord- 
ing - to the owner's sense of the aesthetic ; but the most 
lumbering and weather-beaten are unquestionably the 
most picturesque. 

The port officers were at breakfast when we arrived, 
so there was plenty of time to enjoy all the beauties 
of the harbor, as it was nearly two o'clock in the 
afternoon when the permit to land arrived. In the 
mean time a Spanish mail steamer entered, having on 
board a number of soldiers and civilians. The expe- 
dition with which these were attended to and landed 
contrasted strangely with the cavalier manner in which 
mere Americans were treated. Those of our passen- 
gers who had influence on shore were allowed to land 
by special permit ; but those who were not so fortu- 
nate were obliged to remain until the official stomach 
had been satisfied. 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



21 



Even a Spanish official cannot well remain at break- 
fast all day, so the looked-for permit arrived in its own 
good time. Then the group of little boats that had 
been moving round us suddenly swarmed toward the 
ship's gangway, and their occupants, who were strong 
and rather " hard" looking Spaniards, set up a babel 
of appeals for employment. 

As we shoved off from the vessel's side, Ave were 
enjoying, by anticipation, the novel sights upon which 
our eyes were soon to dwell, while the black prophet 
of the party shook his head with evil forebodings of 
what was to happen to us in the custom-house. While 
all were in this happy frame of mind, an incident oc- 
curred which was nigh having a fatal termination. 
Our boat was heavily laden with baggage, and carried 
six passengers, one being a lady, in addition to the 
two Spanish boatmen. We were scudding before the 
wind at a fair rate, when a man-of-war's boat, pro- 
pelled by a dozen lusty arms, appeared rowing directly 
across our course. It was impossible for us to stop 
or to change our direction with sufficient rapidity to 
avoid a collision ; so we held on, the sailors shouting 
to the man-of-war's crew to change their course. The 
latter, however, paid not the slightest heed, but rowed 
down with a sweeping stroke. The position became 
critical, as it was evident that a collision was immi- 
nent. Our sailors shouted and gesticulated with 
increased energy, and, at the last moment, the Span- 
iards backed water not an instant too soon ; for, in 
spite of the frantic efforts of our boatmen, the prow 
of the man-of-war's boat struck ours on the quarter 
heavily and made her reel. The lady of the party 
only escaped injury by jumping up from her seat just 



22 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

in time to escape being struck by the colliding prow. 
In the stern of the Spanish boat a nabob of an officer 
was seated, whose white hair ought to have been a 
guarantee against such an outrage ; but the hidalgo 
sat quietly and unconcernedly by, as if it were a matter 
of sublime indifference to his decorated soul whether 
or not some half-dozen mere civilians were sent to the 
bottom. Before we landed we were treated to another 
sample of official insolence by having our boat thrust 
back to allow some uniformed swell to pass before us, 
— -an incident that cost us half an hour of struggle 
before we could regain our lost place. 

My first care, after depositing my luggage at the 
San Carlos Hotel, was to seek Mr. Price, the resident 
correspondent of the Herald, who introduced me to 
General A. T. A. Torbert, the American consul-general, 
who received me kindly, but seemed to think that, in 
view of the state of public feeling, there was very 
little chance of obtaining permission to visit the insur- 
gent camp, without which, he expressed the opinion, 
it would be a very hazardous and very foolhardy 
undertaking to attempt to pass the Spanish outposts. 
General Torbert was reserved and cautious in the 
expression of his views, and evidently wanted to keep 
out of any unnecessary complications with the authori- 
ties. He excused himself from accompanying me to 
the Captain-General, but gave me a letter of introduc- 
tion and recommendation, saying that it would be well 
to see his Excellency at once, and return to inform him 
what answer had been given to me. 

The distance from the consulate to the palace of 
the Captain-General was traversed in a few minutes, 
and I found myself in one of the spacious apartments 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



23 



of the Palacio de Gobernacion. An officer in full 
dress, decorated and aigniletted, was in waiting. He 
had laid aside his sword, and was engaged in con- 
versation with a gentleman who, I afterwards learned, 
was an aide-de-camp in mufti. His Excellency was \/ 
engaged on important business ; but, as soon as he 
was disengaged, my letters were presented. There 
was time to look around and examine the portraits of 
former Captains-General. But the study lacked in- 
terest, from the fact that the names were not given, 
though the dates of their holding office were marked 
on each frame. The most striking, and, to me, inter- 
esting, were the portraits of O'Donnell, de Rodas, and 
Valmaseda, the latter a fierce and by no means very 
intelligent-looking man. O'Donnell occupies the place 
of honor over the door of the antechamber; and, 
unless the painter flattered him very much, he was 
one of those men who, once seen, leave their image 
impressed on the mind forever. The portraits are, 
however, execrably painted, evidently by some local 
genius. The examination of this interesting collection 
of historical portraits was soon interrupted by the 
officer with the golden aigitillcttcs informing me that 
his Excellency the Captain-General would receive me. 
On entering the grand sallc de reception, I saw, coming 
towards me, a distinguished-looking man of some fifty 
summers, dressed in military uniform. Mr. Price, who 
accompanied me, introduced me to General Ccballos \ 
as the correspondent of the New York Herald. He 
bowed politely, but coldly. After the exchange of 
the usual civilities, the object of my visit was ex- 
plained, and a shade of displeasure and annoyance 
passed over his face. It was, however, transient, as 



24 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



his Excellency, during this interview, exhibited a 
marked and almost chivalrous courtesy. 

In answer to my request for a safe-conduct, to 
enable me to pass freely through the Spanish lines, 
and protect me should I fall into the hands of the 
Spanish troops while among the insurgents or in their 
district, the Captain-General answered, " It is impos- 
sible, I was anxious that a true account should be 
given to the world, and, when a former correspondent 
arrived here, I gave him every facility to see for him- 
self the exact state of the insurrection. He was 
furnished with letters of recommendation to the com- 
manding generals in the districts which he wished to 
visit ; and in all cases he was well received and offered 
every facility to acquaint himself with the condition 
of the insurrection. He was treated with all the 
attention that could be paid to a niha bonita, a beauti- 
ful girl ; yet, after all this, he deceived me and mis- 
represented the situation. 

"I regret that you did not come first; you could 
then have had all the facilities, but now it is different. 
So much dissatisfaction has been caused by the pro- 
ceedings of your predecessor, and the unfounded reports 
which have been spread relative to his personal safety, 
that I should expose myself to misconception if I 
should again place myself in a position to be deceived. 
You come recommended ; but your predecessor also 
came recommended as a reliable and honorable man ; 
but yet he deceived me, after all my kindness and 
attention, when I had treated him as though he were 
an ambassador. With these circumstances fresh in 
the public mind, I cannot accept the responsibility of 
recommending you to any of my subordinate officers. 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



■5 



If I had only myself to consider, I would do so with 
pleasure ; but I cannot consent to do anything that 
might tend to weaken respect for authority, or that 
would make it appear that I can be used as a toy." 

" I acknowledge that your Excellency's position is 
a difficult one ; but " 

" No, my position is not difficult. I command here, 
and am obeyed implicitly in all parts of the island." 

This unfortunate phrase seemed to annoy the 
Caotain-General very much ; and, though I pressed 
him to give me a simple military pass, he was firm in 
his refusal, at the same time expressing his regret that 
the peculiar circumstances of the case, and the tone 
of the public mind, prevented him according a request 
that otherwise it would give him much pleasure to 
grant. In conclusion, he said, — 

" I cannot accept the responsibility of giving you 
any authority, for the reasons that I have already ex- 
plained; besides, you might be wounded or killed by 
a shot from behind the stump of a tree, and we would 
then be charged with the responsibility of your death. 
I will not, therefore, expose myself to the danger of 
further misrepresentation. You are, however, at lib- 
erty to travel wherever you wish at your own risk. 
You can go to Puerto Principe, Santiago de Cuba, or 
wherever else you like, and will not be interfered with ; 
but I cannot give you any papers to protect you, or 
any special authorization of any kind. The vise of 
your passport will suffice to enable you to pass through 
the country with perfect safety." 

It was evident that, unless my application could be 
supported from more influential quarters, no special 
protection would be granted ; and, unwilling to pro- 

3 



2 6 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

long uselessly the interview, I made my bow to his 
Excellency and departed, but with my mind made up 
to try again. 

Whoever goes to Havana in search of the beautiful 
will be disappointed. Like other painted beauties, it 
looks best at a distance, and fails to improve on closer 
acquaintance. The streets are narrow, dirty, and ill 
paved. Footpaths, scarcely ten inches wide, furnish 
the only security from the volantes and victorias, which 
dash about in the most reckless manner, without the 
slightest regard to the safety of foot passengers. In 
the dry season the stench is dreadful, and when it 
rains the streets are converted into small rivers, owing 
to the want of proper drainage ; yet the city has the 
harbor on one side and the ocean at the other. It is 
situated in an admirable position to allow the drainage 
to be carried into the ocean, but the little that has been 
done in the way of sewage has been made to empty 
into the harbor, converting it into a large cesspool. 
The prevalence of disease during the heated term is 
largely due to this cause. 

Club-life prevails to a large extent in Havana, and 
has exerted an unfavorable influence on the character 
of the inhabitants. Havana is essentially a male city. 
The ladies are in a hopeless minority. At first sight 
this would appear to increase their influence, but the con- 
trary is the fact. Native ladies never go out unaccom- 
panied, as they would be exposed to insult. Foreign 
ladies sometimes defy the native prejudice; but, in the 
end, are obliged to conform to the rule, or expose them- 
selves to annoyance and even insult. The life of a 
woman must be unbearably monotonous. They go to 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 2 J 

church in the morning, and in the evening drive out 
to hear the music on the Prado, or go to the opera. 
On the Prado it is veiy rare to see a lady, even accom- 
panied, taking walking exercise; they remain in their 
carriages and chat with their gentlemen friends, or 
partake of ices and sherbets, which are brought from 
the brilliant cafes in the neighborhood. The Prado is 
the great centre of amusement. Here are grouped 
within sight the beautiful Casino Espanol, so sadly 
celebrated, the Albisu Theatre, the Louvre, the Tacon 
Theatre, where operas are given. The Tacon is a very 
large hdtise of pretentious appearance. It looks gay 
and bright at night, when tier above tier of boxes are 
crowded with gayly-dressed ladies, powdered, rouged, 
and made up generally to kill. They look like a col- 
lection of tropical birds of brilliant plumage, while the 
gentlemen, dressed in dark coats and black stove-pipe 
hats, who occupy the parterre, which is reserved 
wholly for their use, look like a flock of huge crows, 
especially when the curtain drops, and they rise en 
masse, put on their black hats, and pour out into the 
cafes and halls until the warning-bells call them back 
to their places. A custom also prevails which has 
long been banished from our stage : between the acts 
gentlemen go behind the scenes to chat with actors 
and actresses. 

The population of Havana is made up of Peninsulars, 
or Spaniards, who hold in their hands all political or 
administrative power ; Creoles, or white people born 
in the island ; and free colored people, slaves, and 
Chinamen. Between the Peninsulars and the Creoles 
there exists an intense but suppressed hatred. It docs 
not, however, appear on the surface, as the Creole has 



28 THE M.IMBI-LAND. 

been thoroughly cowed by the bloody examples made 
in the beginning of the insurrection. Most of the old 
Cuban families left Havana after the massacres in 1869 
at the Villanueva Theatre and the cafe of the Louvre. 
The mere suspicion of sympathy with the insurrection 
at that period was sufficient to expose the unfortunate 
Creoles to the vengeance of the infuriate volunteers. 
Acts of violence are rare now, because the necessity 
for them has passed, but the terror and hate they in- 
spired remain. Nothing can exceed the detestation 
of the Creoles for the Peninsulars, and though the 
Cubans of the large towns dare not attempt any hos- 
tile demonstration against Spanish power without ex- 
posing themselves to massacre, in secret they plot to 
aid the men in arms, and to accomplish the overthrow 
of the Spanish power. A constant correspondence is 
maintained between the insurgents and the laborantes 
in Havana and other large cities. The troubles in 
Spain give the conspirators, or laborantes, hope that in 
the end Spain will be obliged to relax her grasp from 
sheer exhaustion. This hope enables them to bear 
with patience the oppressive rule of their Spanish 
enemies. They are firmly convinced that the triumph 
of the Cuban cause is assured, " manafia o manafia 
pasado" — that is, the Spanish to-morrow, — some time 
in the future. This belief is founded on the success- 
ful resistance of the men in the Central and Eastern 
Departments during the past six years, and the knowl- 
edge that thousands of armed Cubans have lately 
deserted from the Spaniards and joined their patriot 
brothers in the field. The strength and organization 
of the volunteer battalions, which are almost wholly 
made up of Peninsulars, or immigrant Spaniards, 



THE MA MB I LA. \ '/). 



2 9 



render any attempt at insurrection in cities like 
Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, or Santiago de Cuba 
a veiy hazardous experiment. Among a hardier race 
the effort would be made, but the Creoles of the large 
towns are wanting in the fierce energy that builds up 
barricades. The climate and an indolent mode of life 
have combined to render the Cuban of the city effemi- 
nate, and he is certainly no match for the hardy and 
industrious immigrants who compose the strength of 
the volunteer battalions. The Peninsulars are chiefly 
natives of the northern provinces of Spain, and, so far 
as physical energy and courage are concerned, are 
perhaps the hardiest and most resolute of the Spanish 
race. In great part they are made up of the same 
class of men as we send to the gold-fields; bold, un- 
scrupulous, fierce, and energetic men, thirsting to be- 
come rich, and not over-scrupulous how they reach 
their end. These men are supported by the armies 
and moral aid of Spain, and rule the indolent Creoles 
with a hand of iron. Though considerably in the 
minority, even among the white population, their 
compact organization, and their concentration in the 
large cities, render them masters of the situation. The 
Creoles are carefully disarmed in the cities, and a 
widely-spread system of espionage, combined with 
prompt, and even savage, punishment of suspected 
treason, holds the Creole population in such terror 
that organization for revolt within the Spanish lines is 
well-nigh impossible. It is not, however, so much the 
fear of death for themselves as the dread of exposing 
their families to outrage and ruin, that restrains the 
Cuban, who, though lacking in the stubborn energy 
of the northern peoples, po a latent courage and 



3° 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



constancy not surpassed by any race of men. Who- 
ever is conversant with the history of the Cuban 
struggle cannot doubt this apparently contradictory 
characteristic. The Creoles are polished in their man- 
ners, hospitable, and generally well educated. In this 
they contrast favorably with the Peninsulars, who, as 
a class, are generally very ignorant ; a fact which ren- 
ders their rule more galling to the Cubans, who see 
themselves excluded from all places of honor and 
profit by the sturdy immigrants, who look on the 
island as a gold-digger might on his claim, as a place 
to be exploited for his sole benefit. The white popu- 
lation of the island does not exceed 700,000. Of 
these about 180,600 are Spanish immigrants, the im- 
mense majority of whom are men capable of bearing 
arms. The remainder of the population is made up 
of blacks, colored people, slaves, and Chinamen, 
numbering in all over 600,000. The slaves and " ap- 
prenticed" Chinamen are set down, on good authority, 
at 300,000. The insurrection has had the effect of 
concentrating the slave and apprenticed classes prin- 
cipally in the Western Department, which has pros- 
pered at the cost of the Central and Eastern Depart- 
ments, ruined by the war. 

In order to understand why it is that the vomito and 
other pestilences are so deadly in Havana, it is only 
necessary to pass through the streets. When it has 
not rained for some time the stench is absolutely over- 
powering, and there are some quarters where even the 
tropical tempests are unable to purify the atmosphere. 
Very little effort seems to be made by the ayuntamiento, 
or town council, which is composed of Peninsulars, to 
promote intelligent measures of sanitary reform. As 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



3* 



a result of this indifference, a considerable proportion 
of the population is swept off every year, the immi- 
grants being the chief sufferers. When the ayunta- 
miento meets two ropes are drawn across the street 
where the council chamber is situated, to prevent the 
traffic from disturbing the wiseacres in their delibera- 
tions. If we except the sole duty of imposing taxa- 
tion, I do not see what these people have to do, except, 
perhaps, to agree among themselves as to the distribu- 
tion of the pickings. Report says that most of the 
taxes find their way into the pockets of the council- 
men. As there is no public opinion here, no liberty 
of the press or of speech except by the will of the 
authorities, these abuses remain without remedy. The 
people seem to be content if they are let alone; and, so 
long as they are not too inquisitive, and confine them- 
selves strictly to their business, the governing classes 
do not interfere with them. 

Unwilling to leave Havana without making another 
effort to obtain permission from the government to 
visit the insurgent lines, I wrote the following letter 
to the Captain-General : 

Hotel San Carlos, December 22, 1872. 
To his Excellency the Captain-General : 

Your Excellency, — The gracious reception accorded to 
me on the occasion of my first interview with your Excel- 
lency, and the kindly sentiments you were pleased to ex- 
press, encourage me to request that you will reconsider 
your refusal to grant me a safe-conduct, or military pass. 
In the following letter I propose to submit to your Excel- 
lency the reasons that to my mind appear sufficient to jus- 
tify you in adopting this course. I am deeply sensible of 
the irritation that the failure of my predecessor on this 



, 2 THE MAMBI-LAXD. 

mission to avail himself of the opportunities and facilities 
procured for him by your Excellency. Whatever fault has 
been committed in this connection is the fault of an indi- 
vidual, for which neither myself nor the journal which I 
represent can be held responsible. Had he fully performed 
the task which he accepted voluntarily, my presence here 
would be unnecessary. If, therefore, your Excellency has 
reason to be discontented, Mr. Bennett also has reason for 
dissatisfaction. The object of my visit, as explained to me 
by Mr. Bennett, is to examine, without prejudice or par- 
tiality, into the state of the insurrection, and through the 
columns of the Herald to make known to the world 
whether the statements put forward by the Spanish author- 
ities, or those advanced by the insurgents, represent more 
accurately the existing state of affairs. For this purpose, 
and in order to present fairly both sides of the question, I 
have been instructed to visit the insurgent camps as well as 
the Spanish lines. In order to be able to do this with 
greater facility, I have applied to your Excellency for such 
protection as would prevent the minor officials throwing 
obstacles in my way, or the Spanish outposts stopping my 
free passage through the disturbed districts; in fact, such a 
recognition of my position as a neutral as would prevent 
my being mistaken for an emissary of the insurgents in 
case I should encounter outlying parties of the Spanish 
troops. 

Belonging to a people by whom the remembrance of old 
alliances with Spain is still warmly cherished, I claim to be 
free from the prejudices that are too often entertained by 
northern peoples against the Spanish nation ; and I have 
come here in the full confidence that I shall have to deal 
with brave and honorable men. There is, in my mind, no 
fear that any Spanish soldier will degrade himself by be- 
coming an assassin, and I comprehend fully your sensitive- 
ness lest some unforeseen accident should lay the Spanish 



THE MAMBI-LAND. -,-, 

cause open to the suspicion of being stained by what would 
be a crime against civilization. 

For myself, while comprehending and appreciating your 
caution in declining to expose yourself to the danger of 
misconception, I cannot accept the justness of your de- 
ductions. Availing myself of the express permission you 
assured me would be given to my passing freely through 
the island at my own risk, I will endeavor, by favor of that 
permission, to carry out the mission which I accepted in 
New York, even should the special projection which I seek 
be refused me. Should the event — which you foresee as 
among the contingencies of that mission— unfortunately be- 
fall me, then ; indeed, the authorities are more likely to be 
censured for not having granted the facilities of the case, 
and for having, by this refusal of a safe-conduct, given my 
undertaking an appearance of hostility, which, in reality, 
is foreign to it. I would not have dwelt on a question 
that, after all, is of so strictly personal a nature, but for 
the emphasis your Excellency laid on this point during our 
interview. 

The broader and more important considerations which 
must influence your Excellency's final decision are those 
which touch the honor and the interest of Spain. 

It is impossible to ignore the fact that the civilized world 
desires to know how it happens that an insurrection, which 
the Spanish authorities proclaim to be of no importance, 
continues unsuppressed after four years of armed conflict. 
If, as we have been assured, the insurrection has been re- 
duced to the last extremity, and has no longer the sym- 
pathy of any large class of this community, it is for the 
interest of Spain that the representative of an independent 
and neutral journal should be able to place before the 
world an unbiased statement of the Cuban question. The 
insurgents, through their sympathizers in New York, have 
already promised to the Herald correspondent every pro- 



34 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

tection and facility once he enters their lines; and if the 
Spanish authorities refuse, on their part, to allow the ex- 
amination to be made, or if they throw obstacles in the 
way, universal public opinion will argue that they have 
some interested motive for the adoption of such a course. 
The fact that my predecessor, through fear of assassination 
or of the vomito, abandoned his post, will not be accepted 
as sufficient explanation, in view of the fact that one of 
the editors of the Herald has presented himself to take 
the abandoned post. 

For myself I have but one desire, and that is to fulfill 
honorably the mission intrusted to me. I wish to leave 
no effort untried to obtain all the assistance and informa- 
tion that will help me to form' a correct judgment before I 
record it. If the authorities, by the appearance of dis- 
couraging my mission, prevent me from obtaining that full 
and broad view of the situation which it is my wish and 
aim to obtain, they must not blame me if my conclusions 
and deductions become partial from the want of that very 
information which they refuse me the facilities to acquire. 
Before my departure from New York, a telegram was re- 
ceived by Mr. Bennett from Admiral Polo, the Spanish 
Minister at Washington, promising that he would use his 
good offices with your Excellency to procure for me the 
assistance of the authorities in Cuba. 

Requesting -the honor of an early reply, I beg to sub- 
scribe myself your Excellency's obedient servant, 

James J. O' Kelly. 

THE CAPTAIN-GENERAL'S REPLY. 

Havana, December 24, 1872. 
Sr. Don James J. O'Kelly: 

Dear Sir, — I have received your polite letter which you 

have been pleased to direct under date of the 2 2d instant, 

inviting; me to reconsider the causes which hinder me from 



THE MAMBl-LAh'D. 



15 



granting you a safe-conduct to visit the enemy's camp, 
which you solicited in the interview which I had the 
pleasure to concede to you. It is easy to understand how 
pertinent these reasons must appear to me when they over- 
come my desire to grant your wishes. 

As you remark opportunely in your letter, this is an 
affair of a personal nature, and easily granted. 

For this reason, independent governments and their 
legitimate representatives deny or concede permission to 
go and remain in the enemy's camp, — a thing against the 
established practices of war, — but, what is much more 
generally observed and regular, to permit, in their own 
army, the presence of foreigners with a private or official 
character. The denial, when it is given, does not give 
cause for unfavorable interpretations, as you state in your 
letter ; because, then, the government of the United States 
would not have denied its permission, as it did in the last 
civil war, to Spanish officers to visit the Federal camps, 
when solicited by the representative of the Spanish nation 
in Washington. It was not then the object to go to the 
Confederate camps to declare to the world if the generals 
and Confederate authorities circulated false reports, or if 
their assertions were worthy of credit, as you say you pre- 
tend to do in respect to us, by order of the proprietor of 
the New York Herald, but solely to study professionally 
the interesting incidents of that war. 

Such pretensions, so clearly manifested, cannot by any 
means be assented to by the first authority in this island ; 
nor can he sanction so offensive and unfounded a doubt. 

The pretensions of your predecessor were less absolute; 
and therefore I granted him the permission to accompany 
our columns, and even to visit some of the rebel bands, as 
he did in one of the two departments not yet pacified. 
But for motives which he undoubtedly understands, the 
attentions he was the object of as a guest, and the subject 



36 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

of a friendly government, he thought himself in danger 
when he enjoyed the most perfect security, under the banner 
of Spain ; and this belief appears to be sufficient cause to 
excite public opinion against the authorities and respectable 
corporations, attributing to them the intention to exercise 
over his conduct and opinions a reprehensible pressure. 
What would it have been if he had fallen a victim to the 
undisciplined hordes to which to-day the insurrection is 
reduced ; or if, in some encounter, a Spanish soldier had 
not recognized him as a pacific and neutral person ? For- 
tunately, he finds himself in his own country, and he can 
say what he ought to or wishes ; but a second rehearsal 
cannot be permitted, nor your unusual pretensions ; nor, 
admitting your good faith, the species of violence which, 
apparently, you intend to exercise, judging from some of 
the paragraphs of your letter, as, in Spain, whatever has the 
air of intimidation cannot be tolerated. 

As I have already had the pleasure to tell you verbally, 
you will be furnished with an ordinary passport to travel 
throughout the island, as could be done by any Spanish 
subject or stranger ; and be assured that you will not be 
molested, nor will your trip be fruitless, as in our towns 
you can acquire news relating to the insurrection by con- 
sulting the thousands of the surrendered, who fight in our 
ranks or live quietly in their homes, pardoned by the 
Spanish government. Any other course you adopt must 
be understood to be at your own risk. 

I have had the satisfaction to answer your letter ; but 
this condescension I could not repeat, because you already 
must understand that it is not customary that the authori- 
ties explain to private individuals, respectable as they may 
be, the motives of their conduct or the foundation of their 
opinions. 

I am your attentive servitor, 

Francisco de Ceballos. - 



CHAPTER II. 

CUBAN TRAVEL. 

My Prospects — I set out "at my own Risk" — Cuban Ferry-boat — 
Strange Traveling Companions — Aspect of the Country — Surveil- 
lance over Passengers — The Guardia Civil, and Colored Persons — 
Troubles of the Celestials — On the Outerskirt of the Insurrection — 
Apparition of an old Ironsides — Villa Clara — Cuban Hotel. 

The letter of the Captain-General dissipated all hopes 
of being able to carry out amicably my mission. It 
was now evident that every difficulty would be thrown 
in my way, and the prospect was not at all cheering. 
It was not possible to turn back without dishonor, and, 
though it should cost even life itself, I would have to 
visit the Cuban camp, learn the state of the Mambi- 
Land, and see Cespedes, or, if dead, as reported by the 
Spaniards, his successor. 

My word had been given to accomplish this, and, at 
whatever cost, it should be done. I had counted on 
being able to convince the authorities that advantages 
would accrue to Spain by the true state of the insurrec- 
tion being made known by an independent and impar- 
tial witness, but their insensate pride rendered reasoning 
impossible, and forced me from the outset into a posi- 
tion of hostility to the government of the "Ever-Faith- 
ful Isle." At the time of my arrival in Cuba my 
knowledge of the people and the island was imper- 
fect and crude, as is common in the outside world. 

The pictures of the struggle, and of the men who 
4 37 



38 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



have sustained it, persistently drawn by the Spanish 
press, had made that impression on me which state- 
ments constantly repeated and apparently well founded 
never fail to make, even on the most thoughtful and 
cautious minds. It had not occurred to me that a 
system of persistent misrepresentation was relied on by 
the Spanish party as the most effective way to deprive 
the Cubans of all outside sympathy. It appeared to me 
that not only would the authorities be willing but eager 
to have the truth made known by a witness whose im- 
partiality could not be affected by partisan feeling. But 
this supposition proved unsound, and, instead of aid and 
encouragement, I encountered suspicion and hostility, 
and every obstacle' was thrown in the way of a suc- 
cessful accomplishment of my mission. The foreign 
residents, and even many Cubans, advised me, with 
provoking unanimity, to abandon the enterprise as 
impracticable. It is not cheering at the outset of an 
undertaking to be assured by every one whose opinion 
merits attention, that failure is inevitable, and that the 
road to be pursued leads to death. The many unavoida- 
ble dangers which would attend an attempt to penetrate 
the Cuban lines were recited with Munchausen-like ex- 
aggeration, until the dreadful stories told on every hand 
made me feel really uncomfortable about the probable 
issue of my undertaking. The pictures drawn were so 
black and hideous, that the surrounding civilization 
seemed all a sham, and the inhabitants cannibals mas- 
querading in more or less civilized costume. Respecta- 
ble men assured me that not alone was my life in 
danger from the Negros Sueltos, or Cuban Swamp An- 
gels, and brigands who infest the roads, but that even 
the soldiers and officers of the contending parties 



CUBAN TRAVEL. 39 

would not hesitate to dispose of me in order to 
rob me. 

The universality of this opinion most astonished me. 
No distinction among parties was made, and men 
holding Spanish commissions have warned me on no 
account to trust myself with a small detachment of 
Spanish troops, unless specially recommended to the 
commander by the superior authorities. The opinion 
was general that if I ventured with a small squad I 
would be murdered on the road, as a ready excuse 
would be found by alleging that the party had been 
attacked, and the Herald correspondent killed by 
accident. 

Now, without attaching too much importance to 
these exaggerated statements, it was impossible not to 
be somewhat influenced by their constant reiteration. 
Still, as there was no means of abandoning honorably 
the enterprise, it was necessary to make the best of a 
bad position, and go on at all hazards, trusting to the 
chapter of accidents to come out successful. In order 
to obtain a thorough acquaintance with the countiy 
and the people, and at the same time acquire by per- 
sonal observation exact knowledge of the condition of 
the insurrection, I resolved, if it were possible, to go 
down through the centre of the island, so as to en- 
counter Agramonte. It was evident that no trust 
whatever could be placed on the reports or circum- 
stantial accounts of the inhabitants, whose Oriental 
imagination led them to exaggerate, often uncon- 
sciously, every fact connected with the insurrection. 
Sometimes only half the truth was told, at others most 
ingenious stories and theories were invented to bias 
my judgment. Fortunately, both Spaniard and Cuban 



40 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



carried exaggeration so far that almost from the mo- 
ment I set foot in the " Ever-Faithful Isle," my 
suspicion was aroused, and I resolved to advance 
nothing on the faith of what others told me. It was 
the more necessary to exercise caution, because the 
Spanish party were strongly convinced that my mis- 
sion to Cuba was not so much to throw light on the 
state of the insurrection, as to injure Spain in the 
public opinion of the world, by distorting the evils of 
the situation, and so afford an excuse for the inter- 
ference of foreign powers in the affairs of the island. 
It was vain on my part to disclaim any such intention. 
With a simplicity quite charming, all classes of Span- 
iards were fully persuaded that the New York Herald 
was the obedient instrument and mouth-piece of the 
Cuban laborantes in the United States. It would be 
illiberal to blame too severely this mistaken notion, 
because these people have not the slightest conception 
of what is meant by " Free Press" and " Independent 
Journalism," and they think a newspaper must of 
necessity be the organ of some party. The extremely 
sharp people saw in the Herald correspondent a secret 
agent of the United States government. It was use- - 
less to decline the great honor sought to be thrust 
upon me, and in despair I abandoned the effort, and 
allowed the clever people to imagine me a relation 
of his Majesty the Brother to the Sun if so disposed. 
If this mistaken notion created deeper suspicion and 
more marked dislikes, it probably had its counter- 
balancing advantages by casting over me in some sort 
the shadow of Columbia's giant shield. 

When the Captain-General finally announced his 
decision not to aid or allow me to pass to the insur- 



CUBAN TRAVEL. 4I 

gent lines, I endeavored to discover the much-talked- 
about laboranics, to try if they would not help me to 
pass the frontiers of Cuba Libre. It was difficult and 
very delicate work approaching these people, who lived 
in daily terror of discovery by the authorities. The 
slightest proof of treasonable correspondence would 
insure their summary execution ; but one or two ven- 
tured to see me ; they confined themselves, however, 
to throwing out vague hints, which left me in exactly 
the same state of uncertainty as before. Nothing was 
to be gained by staying in Havana, so I applied for a 
ccdula, or permission to travel. An unexpected diffi- 
culty arose. It was Christmas-tide, and the govern- 
ment employes gave themselves holidays, so I was 
obliged to wait their good pleasure for several days. 
On the expiration of the time named, I again applied 
to the Consul-General for my papers, but was informed 
that the police authorities would sign no papers for 
four days longer. This was too much for my patience, 
so I told the Consul-General that if he would kindly 
vise my passport, I would go on without waiting for 
the ccdula. He advised me not to adopt this course ; 
but, as I was resolved, he returned my passport with 
his vise. And next morning saw me on the way to 
the Mambi-Land. 

Ten minutes before six a.m. a small ferry-boat, built 
on the American plan, left the pier close to the San 
Carlos Hotel, and in a few minutes deposited her pas- 
sengers on the western side of the harbor, close to a 
long, low, brick building. This was the railway sta- 
tion. In the five minutes occupied in the passage 
across, I had ample opportunity to note the features 
of the strange scene. The cabin was lighted by lamps 

4* 



42 



THE MAMBT-LAND. 



that threw a faint and sickly light over the passengers, 
who were of many races and colors. There were 
planters and their slaves, shrewd business men, and 
curious travelers, jumbled together, and all forming a 
strange, weird picture under the flickering light of the 
oil-lamps. For the most part the negroes and Chinese 
carried with them bundles, which probably contained 
all their worldly goods. They appeared to be wretched 
beings, ignorant and degraded to the last degree, with- 
out a spark of that manly independence which is so 
marked a feature of the working classes in free coun- 
tries. A few favored coolie servants preserved their 
appearance as rational beings ; but the field hands 
furnished evidence in their persons of the brutalizing 
influence of slavery in its worst forms. The colored 
men on board the little ferry-boat were the first speci- 
mens of plantation slaves I had seen, and the impres- 
sion they made on my mind was very unfavorable to 
the system, — an impression further acquaintance with 
this sad subject intensified. 

As we moved slowly out of the plain but neat little 
station, the morning sun was smiling through dark, 
drifting clouds. The air was raw and somewhat chill, 
and it seemed as if Dame Nature had not quite made up 
her mind whether or not she would weep through the 
morning as she had done through the night. But, in the 
end, old Sol coaxed her to dry up her tears, and the 
dark shadows which obscured the fair face of day were 
swept slowly across the sky, to give place to light, 
vaporous clouds, bathed in brilliant sunlight. Grad- 
ually the dark masses faded into gray, then melted into 
silver, tinged, at intervals, with roseate hues, or a 
sudden burst of sunlight changed the pale gray of the 



CUBAN TRAVEL. 43 

silver clouds, as by touch of a fairy wand, into one vast 
expanse of golden waste, fringed by dark, threatening, 
cumulus clouds, lurid red, like evil giants frowning at 
the loveliness and beauty of the scene which God had 
prepared for man. 

In the warm, mellow sunlight of a tropical clime, the 
green of the waving trees refreshed by night tears, and 
new-bathed in the morning dew, acquired intense bril- 
liancy, and the crystal drops, still nestling on the leaves, 
sparkled like diamonds in the sun. It was Sunday, and 
the fair scene was not disfigured by the presence of a 
slave. It was nature in all her bountiful magnificence, 
freed from the dark shadow of grasping and cruel man. 
In the distance, the dark forms of the trees that fringe 
the fields seemed like huge sentinels keeping watch 
and ward over the harvest. Could I for a moment 
have forgotten that these fields of waving verdure had 
been made fruitful by the tears of men, and the sweat 
and blood wrung from human beings under the cruel 
lash of relentless taskmasters, I would have expe- 
rienced greater pleasure in contemplating the wondrous 
fertility of this land of perennial growth. Seasons can 
scarcely be said to exist, for while the cultivator cuts 
down one crop another is springing up from the ever- 
fruitful earth. Over such a land one might be par- 
doned for growing enthusiastic, and certainly the 
patriots are right in thinking it well worth fighting for. 

So the ever-changing beauties of the sky continued 
as we swept onward in the track of the iron dragon, 
that puffed and snorted as though he would annihilate 
space. On either side of the track groves of palm- 
trees rose gracefully from the green cane-fields ; groups 
o{ bo hi os, or native huts, with their thatch of palm-leaf, 



44 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



dotted the country, and lent picturesqueness and in- 
terest to the scene. Their position was, generally, 
happily chosen, down in glades and valleys, in small 
patches of cultivation, where the banana and a little 
corn seemed to be almost the only crops grown. These 
were the houses of the natives, who, philosophers in 
their way, think it better to enjoy life than to die rich. 
Hence they prefer cock-fighting to the labors of the 
field, and so long as their immediate wants are supplied 
care little how the world wags. Generous, good- 
natured, and improvident, they are true sons of this 
glorious land, where open-handed nature would shame 
a niggard race. Some moralists would persuade us 
that man was made to labor and to weep, but the 
Cuban thinks he was destined to be idle and to laugh. 
For my own part, I think the Cuban is right ; and it 
must have struck most people that the men who preach 
about the duty of labor avoid hard work as much as 
possible. 

At all the railway stations we met groups of 
wretched-looking negroes and Chinamen. It was diffi- 
cult to make out what they were about, as they seemed 
to have no definite business. The puzzle was soon 
solved by a fellow-passenger, who informed me that, as 
it was Sunday, the negroes and coolies were permitted 
to attend at the station, in the hope of earning a few 
cents by carrying passengers' luggage, if the chance 
should occur. 

A more important feature of the journey was the ap- 
pearance at every station of two soldiers of the guardia 
civil, who passed through the train, looking after sus- 
picious persons. Colored people and coolies were con- 
stantly compelled to exhibit their permit to travel; and, 



CUBAN TRAVEL. 



45 



in several cases, men were arrested on account of some 
irregularity in their papers. Nor were the white pas- 
sengers altogether free from molestation, though the 
attention of the authorities was due, in their case, to 
political rather than social causes. My appearance was 
evidently considered peaceful, and no questions were 
asked me. A young man seated near me, evidently a 
Cuban, did not escape so well; he was reading, and this 
circumstance, no doubt, marked him for suspicion. In 
Cuba, a man who reads is held to be dangerous, and 
authority keeps its eye upon him. In the present case, 
however, there was nothing in a book. The guardia 
civil examined carefully the young man's ceditla, and 
finding it was all right on one side, turned the other 
for examination, at the same time scrutinizing closely 
the suspected person. At last, to my great relief, the 
cedida was handed back without comment, and the 
soldier left the car. No one spoke to, or went near, the 
young man after this occurrence, nor was there made 
openly the slightest remark. Some of the passengers 
looked at one another, as if to invite some reference to 
the incident, but no one ventured to speak. After a 
good run of four hours we arrived at Matanzas, where 
the train stopped half an hour to enable the passengers 
to breakfast. In a fonda, or native hotel, close to the 
station, a really good breakfast was provided, and the 
neatness and promptitude of the service contrasted 
favorably with the discomfort of American and Euro- 
pean railway restaurants. 

Leaving Matanzas, the line of railway sweeps into 
the interior, and for some time we passed through val- 
leys of circular formation, bounded by low hills. As 
we advanced these hills decrc-ascd in elevation, and 



46 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

finally seemed to be swallowed up by the plain. The 
fertility of the land increased at every league, and 
patches of forest were no longer met with in prox- 
imity to the railway. On either hand extended fields 
of sugar-cane, — vast expanses of waving verdure, 
broken only by the noble form of some lonely palm- 
tree, which seemed to nod its tufted head in response 
to the obsequious bowing and flutter of its lowly but 
graceful companions of the field. It would be futile 
to attempt with words to paint to the eye of the imag- 
ination the scenic beauties, the gorgeous color, the 
wealth of form, that passed in panorama before me. 

Bomba, the point of junction for the lines of Car- 
denas and Matanzas, is situated in the midst of this 
beautiful country. Here the train delayed an hour, 
and there was time and ample opportunity to observe 
the motley crowd gathered on the platform. It was 
composed of men of all nations, and formed a pretty 
fair representation of the population. The majority 
was made up of negroes, coolies, and soldiers. It is 
astonishing how many of the latter class are to be 
seen. Wherever one turns a uniform looms in sight. 
Most of them seem to be going on a campaign, and 
many bear traces of former hostilities; still, they look 
game, but no doubt most of them are sighing for the 
time when they will go back to La Vieja Espana, — if 
ever, which in most cases is doubtful. It is impossible 
to avoid thinking how much better it would be if these 
strong fellows would turn their machetes to peaceful 
uses, instead of hacking human creatures to pieces. 
But so long as the Spanish people can be persuaded 
that patriotism demands the holding of Cuba against 
the wishes of the population, and the maintenance of 



CUBAN TRAVEL. 



47 



the slave-master's power, it is idle to hope for peace. 
The Spanish immigrants, hardy, industrious, and 
brave, but ignorant and fanatical, look on the Cubans 
with suspicion and contempt. In the large towns the 
Creole population is certainly physically inferior to the 
hard-working immigrants, and seem to lack the de- 
cision and vigor of character of the Peninsulars. The 
cause of physical degeneration among the Creoles is 
not due so much to climatic influence as to the neglect 
of athletic exercises, and the abandonment of the ruder 
labors to the colored races. Slavery has degraded labor 
and made it distasteful, but there is no foundation for 
the idea popularly entertained that white men cannot 
work in this climate. Athletic sports are not patronized 
by the people, who prefer to amuse themselves in the 
bull-ring, the concert, and the ball-room. As a result, 
their bodies have lost the rude strength which only 
labor, or manly exercise, can retain among a people. 

The negroes form the hardiest and most vigorous 
part of the population. Even brutal treatment, and 
insufficient nourishment, seem incapable of breaking 
down their iron constitutions. Exposed to the heat 
of the sun and to the inclemency of the weather, their 
happy nature lifts them above their misfortunes. The 
free colored people avoid field labor, and are to be 
found in the towns employed in many trades, but 
chiefly as coachmen, postilions, and servants. They 
exhibit the same fondness for dress and display for 
which they are noted in the United States. They ap- 
pear to be quiet and orderly members of the commu- 
nity. From the moment we left Bomba until we 
reached Alvarez, a little pueblo on the edge of an ex- 
tensive forest, the only incident worthy of note was 



4 8 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



the passage through a new town which had been 
christened Colon, after the great discoverer of America. 
It is a neat and prosperous-looking place, resembling 
so strongly an American town that I was at first in- 
clined to think it was an American colony. Most of 
the houses are constructed of wood, with verandas in 
the American style, but many of the buildings are of 
stone. Two important structures in course of erection 
particularly attracted my attention, and on inquiry I 
found they were the Governor's house and the bar- 
racks. This showed me at once that it was only 
American in outward appearance, for had the spirit of 
our republican institutions penetrated the community, 
they would have built a school-house instead of a bar- 
racks. It is deserving of remark that during my 
traveling in Cuba I saw no traces of anything which 
could claim to be a public school, in the American 
sense. The few claimants to the distinction of being 
schools are simply places where children receive only 
an elementary education. 

Nothing is more noticeable to an American than 
the complete absence of books in the houses. It is 
oniy in the very best houses that even a small collec- 
tion of works can be found, and, except in very rare 
cases, these collections have not the slightest preten- 
sion to be called a library. Anxious to get a glimpse 
into the mode of thought of the people as seen in 
their songs, I endeavored to obtain a small volume of 
Cuban melodies, but to my surprise no collection of 
national songs existed. There were a few published 
in sheets, but this was all. 

Soon after we left the promising town of Colon 
behind the character of the country began to change. 



CUBAN TRAVEL. 



49 



The soil appeared less rich and less carefully culti- 
vated. The fincas no longer extended to the horizon, 
and the clustering bohios, with their groves of banana 
and patches of sugar-cane and corn, came once more 
prominently into view. The country gradually be- 
came more wooded, until we reached Alvarez, which 
is situated on the edge of a forest and within the 
region of hostilities. Up to this point the guardia 
civil had performed the duty of gendarmes, and were 
neatly and tidily dressed in their holiday suits. They 
were in all cases armed with the machete, a kind of 
cutlass peculiar to cane-growing countries ; and I had 
become so used to their visits that they excited no 
more attention. The train had stopped a few minutes, 
and I had satisfied myself that there Was nothing to 
be seen, when, suddenly, my attention was attracted 
by a heavy tramping, and a tremendous clanging of 
spurs and ringing of sabre ; my first impression was 
that the commandatore from the opera had broken 
loose, and was practicing his awful stride in a moment 
of forgetfulness. As the noise came closer, I ventured 
to look around, and just at my elbow Was a soldier, 
with rifle-carbine at the support, sabre at his side, 
and cartouchiere filled with cartridges, booted, spurred, 
moustached, and, in fact, looking generally grim and 
ferocious. He spoke not a word, but scanned care- 
fully the faces of the passengers ; arriving at the end 
of the car, and finding no fit subject for ball-prac- 
tice, he turned on his heel and strode out in the same 
silent and terrible manner in which he came in. When 
that apparition of an old ironsides was gone, I ex- 
perienced a feeling of relief, for he looked like a person 
that would shoot on the slightest provocation. It 

5 



-O THE MA MB I- LAND. 

required no ghost to tell me the signification of the 
sudden change in the equipment and manner of our 
soldier visitor, and I was not astonished in the least 
when a communicative neighbor informed me depre- 
catingly that there were algunos partidos about. On 
consulting an excellent map of Cuba, published in 
1869, I found that in that year this very point marked 
the limit of the Cuban insurrection ; so that, after six 
years of war, waged, as the Spaniards assure us, with 
success, the insurrection covers the same ground, 
though in this district it has certainly diminished in 
power. It was strange, however, to find it covering 
the exact ground it did six years ago. This was the 
very information I proposed to gain in passing through 
the centre of the island. The Spaniards claim to have 
reduced the Cinco Villas to order, and, so far as hold- 
ing possession of the towns and dispersing the larger 
bands, they have done so ; but many small detach- 
ments still hold their ground, and nothing like the 
security which we look for in a civilized country in a 
state of peace exists. The insurrection never obtained 
control of this department, because the nature of the 
country is unfavorable to the only mode of war which 
the Cubans can successfully practice against the better 
armed and disciplined troops of Spain. The bands 
have, therefore, been exposed to more difficulties, and 
have not been able to assume the proportions reached 
in the Central Department; but they are sufficiently 
numerous to make traveling unsafe, and to render it 
necessary for Spain to garrison every little point at all 
exposed to attack. However small the number of these 
partisans may be, they render considerable service to 
the cause of the insurrection, by making it impossible 



CUBAN TRAVEL. e T 

for the Spanish troops to concentrate their whole 
strength in the Central and Oriental Departments. 

We found the station at St. Domingo, where the 
line of railway on which we had traveled terminated, 
filled with a curious throng, that embarrassed the free 
movement of the passengers, who were engaged in 
frantic efforts to buy tickets and obtain possession of 
their luggage in order to reship it for Las Cruces. 
With a view to augmenting the confusion, the officials 
refused to take the paper currency of the country, and 
such as were unprovided with plata, or coin, were 
engaged making frantic appeals to the clerks to charge 
the difference, and not cause the unfortunates to lose 
the train. In most cases this was done, but not until 
the officials made the mere public understand how 
much they owed to the " condescension" of their lords 
and masters — the railway clerks. The same farce was 
renewed at Las Cruces, where we were again obliged 
to have our luggage transferred, and, of course, had 
to pay the clerk a consideration for his goodness. The 
railway cannot derive a revenue from this reshipping 
of luggage much in excess of the salary of the offi- 
cials charged with the bureau, and to my mind the 
only reason for its existence is to force the passengers 
to submit to petty annoyances and vexation of spirit, 
all for the good of their souls or otherwise. At last, 
when the shadows of evening were closing rapidly 
over the way, we reached Esperanza, a village next to 
Villa Clara ; but what it was like could not be made 
out through the gloom that surrounded us. It was a 
name of good augury; conferred, no doubt, by some 
unhappy swain who had been doomed to make this 
long and wearisome journey. Night comes so rapidly 



52 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

in these climes, that, though we stand in the shadow 
of night, the distant horizon is still lighted with the 
gorgeous hues of the setting sun. 

In my experiences of many lands, I have never seen 
anything more, beautiful than the scene between Es- 
peranza and Villa Clara. In its characteristics it was 
Eastern. In the distance the sun had dipped beyond 
the horizon ; but the clouds were still bathed in his 
golden beams, the sky looking like a field of molten 
gold, with just the suspicion of a crimson tinge per- 
meating it. Light drifts of dark clouds, the forerun- 
ners of the night, barred the yellow of the firmament, 
and strove to eclipse its glory, while the heavy masses 
of dark-purple clouds, tinged at their edges crimson 
red, flushed with the conflict and victory over day, 
marched on irresistible. In the fading- light, the tall 
and graceful forms of the tufted palms looked like the 
spirits of past ages watching sadly over scenes of 
former glory. Except the puffing of the engine and 
the monotonous whirl of the wheels along the iron 
rails, the silence was unbroken ; for the few passengers 
who remained were tired out and reposed half-somno- 
lent on their seats, so the spectacle could be enjoyed 
without interruption from prattling companions ; the 
desolation of the landscape being only broken by the 
solitary palms, for all other objects had become con- 
founded with the earth in the night-gloom. The 
richness and glow of the sky recalled the Orient lands, 
and it required little effort to fill the voids with the 
ruins of cities of the past; unconsciously I was en- 
gaged in this work of construction, when the train 
stopped with a shock, and my neighbor, starting up, 
exclaimed, " Ya estamos en Villa Clara!' 



CHAPTER III. 

SLAVERY. 

Visit to a Slave Plantation — He7-ald Commissioner as a Prospective 
Slave-driver — Castilian Hospitality — The Overseer's Courtesy — A 
Ride through the Cane-fields — The Slaves' Quarters — The Slave 
Children — Lunch — Assembling the Human Chattels. 

When the train at Villa Clara came to a stand-still, 
with a shock that recalled me from the contemplation 
of past glories to the necessity of attending to such 
vulgar cares as the safety of one's baggage involves, 
I found myself set down on the outskirts of what ap- 
peared in the starless night a large village. A small 
crowd of irrepressible muchachos were gathered at the 
station, waiting, like so many jackals, to pounce on 
the passengers' luggage. After a good deal of pushing 
and elbowing and shouting, the pack was driven off, 
and my worldly goods intrusted to the care of a pair 
of strong urchins, each one of whom, in his greed, 
desired to hold sole control, although together they 
found it difficult enough to convey my camp equipage 
to the hotel to which a fellow-passenger had recom- 
mended me. It was situated in the centre of the town, 
for, as soon as the first palm-covered huts were passed, 
a comparatively well-built and pleasant little town, 
boasting of gas-lamps and sidewalks, the latter fright- 
fully irregular and more dangerous than convenient, 
presented itself. The hotel, like all hotels in this 
country, was rather a fonda, or inn ; but the love 

5* 53 



54 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



of high-sounding names is so engrafted on Spanish 
human nature, that it is proof against the arrows of 
ridicule. Owing to the perfect indifference to the 
comfort of their passengers exhibited by the railway 
officials, it had been impossible to procure anything 
to eat from early morning, so my first care was for 
dinner. The proprietor was engaged playing billiards, 
but heroically left the game to attend on his guest. 
Some pointed questions relative to the plantations of 
the neighborhood aroused the fellow's curiosity ; and 
being a captain, or general, or something of the sort, 
of volunteers, he tried to worm out of me my business, 
and what my motives were for visiting the island. 
When he had tired himself asking questions, he was 
convinced that his guest was a young man with plenty 
of money and a laudable ambition for nigger-driving. 
Under this impression his heart opened, and he pro- 
fessed himself my very devoted servitor. 

Horses and a good guide were ordered to be in 
waiting next morning, may temprano, to conduct me 
to the principal fine a, or plantation, of the neighbor- 
hood. 

The mucjictclw of the hotel awoke me before the sun 
had well risen to take my coffee ; this duty performed, 
I prepared for the road. The horse brought for my 
use was a small native animal, rather restive, but, as I 
found afterwards, good to go. From the manner he 
conducted himself, I am under the impression that he 
was a Mambi to the core, and, mistaking me for a 
Spaniard, endeavored to get rid of me. Finding the 
plunging business would not do, he tried what a sharp 
run along the road would effect, but at last gave up, 
and conducted himself in a somewhat reasonable way. 



SLA VER Y. 



55 



Rain had fallen for many days, and the roads were in 
a wretched condition. We had scarcely crossed a 
picturesque old stone bridge that spans a deep gully, 
at the bottom of which flows a stream of water that 
the natives dignify with the name of a river, when we 
found ourselves navigating through puddles and 
stretches of morass, in which we frequently sunk 
almost to the saddle-girths. For a few hundred yards 
the ground, though muddy, was somewhat level ; but 
we had not been riding a quarter of an hour when a 
morass, stretching away across the road, blocked 
further progress. I was obliged to pull up Avhile the 
guide went forward carefully, as if sounding a ford, to 
find a reasonably convenient passage. After a good 
deal of splashing about, he made his way across with- 
out sinking any deeper than his horse's knees, — an 
achievement which I had the good luck to imitate 
successfully. Bad as this passage was, it was by no 
means the worst, as before long we were obliged to 
quit the roads and ride in the bush, or in the fields 
skirting the highway. We had been dodging about 
in this way for about three-quarters of an hour, now 
on firm land, now traversing pools of water, and some- 
times tumbling into holes in the most unexpected 
localities, and only escaping broken necks by keep- 
ing a sharp look-out and a tight rein. One of these 
obstructions had delayed me an unusual length of 
time behind my guide, whom I always allowed to be 
well ahead of me, when an accident occurred that was 
nearly putting me liors dc combat. My guide was a 
taciturn old soldier, who never condescended to speak 
unless addressed, and then he replied with military 
precision and brevity. I do not think that he once 



56 



THE MA 1MB I- LAND. 



turned his head to see whether or not I had succeeded 
in following him through the maze of sheep-tracks, 
bushes, pools of water, and mud-holes through which 
he led me. In setting out, I had ruffled his temper- by 
insisting on shortening my stirrups, and riding cross- 
country style, much to his disgust, — the Cuban mode 
being to have the stirrup-leather long, and the toe 
pointing gracefully to the ground like a thirteenth- 
century swell. I had soon, however, reason to be 
thankful for my obstinacy. 

The guide had ridden far ahead. After passing one 
of the many morasses, in order to regain on him, I 
struck spurs into my horse. At first the animal was 
inclined to dispute my authority, but having given 
expression to his feelings in a few vicious plunges, he 
rushed off at a good pace. A sudden turn in the 
track, which passed at this point along a field, brought 
us into very broken ground, and I had only time to 
gather up my reins when the horse stumbled, and, in 
spite of my efforts to hold him up, went down head 
foremost. Fortunately, I came down on my feet, but 
before I could completely free myself he rolled over, 
crushing my leg but very slightly. The softness of the 
ground had saved both myself and the horse from any 
serious injury, so I remounted and joined the guide, 
who had chanced to look back just as my horse fell, 
but had not stirred one inch. When I rode up, he 
asked, in a perfectly cool and unmoved manner, " Ha 
V. rccibido dano f" Assured in terms equally brief that 
I had not hurt myself, he relapsed into silence, that 
was not broken until he reached the outer gate of the 
plantation to which we were bound. We entered with- 
out any ceremony, riding up to a large mass of build- 



SLA VER Y. 



57 



ings standing almost in the centre of the plantation, 
which extended for miles on every side. Here we 
were fortunate enough to find all the superior officials 
at breakfast, in the shadow of a great shed which pro- 
tects the machinery from the weather. It was delight- 
fully cool, as the shed was open on all sides, allowing 
the air free passage without creating any perceptible 
draft. The usual invitation to partake, which is always 
tendered by the Spanish race to whoever enters when 
they are at their meals, having been declined on the 
ground that we had already eaten, the object of my 
visit was explained to the mayor-domo, who expressed 
himself delighted at the chance of being of some service. 
While waiting for the meal to be over, I had an excel- 
lent opportunity to notice the dozen or so of slave- 
drivers who were gathered around the table. For the 
most part they were vigorous, semi-military looking 
men, with faces indicating sternness. With one or two 
exceptions, there was nothing strikingly brutal in the 
expression of their faces, while in some instances there 
was an open frankness about their look that consorted 
badly with the vile profession of the men. They were 
seated around a large deal table, on which a number of 
dishes of the country were placed, and the rough plen- 
tifulness of the board reminded one of feudal times. 
For the most part these men were' rudely clad, and, in 
some cases, their linen was not remarkable for its 
cleanliness. Nearly all were travel-stained, having sat 
clown to the table as they arrived from the fields. In 
spite of the roughness of their exterior, there reigned, 
however, among them all the polished courtesy of the 
old regime. It was amusing to watch the punctilious 
attention paid to each other by this somewhat rude- 



5' 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



looking group, — rugged in feature, coarse in attire, 
but with the innate refinement of the Latin races, 
which not even the barbarous habit of thought en- 
gendered by slavery could wholly eradicate. Booted 
and spurred, with the formidable machete hanging at 
their sides, these men looked like beings called back 
from the barbarous days of chivalry by some magician's 
wand to contrast with modern ideas and progress, as 
seen in the complicated machinery in whose shadow 
they were breakfasting. There was something so op- 
posed to the spirit of liberty and thirsting after progress 
and justice which distinguishes the nineteenth century 
in this scene, that I am not sure that I did not pinch 
myself, just to be certain I was not dreaming. 

As soon as breakfast was concluded, the director of 
the plantation ordered one of the black slaves in 
attendance to saddle his horse, and in a few moments 
we were jogging through the grounds, which were 
divided by well laid out roads to facilitate the convey- 
ance of the cane to the mill. Our first visit was made 
to the buildings used by the slaves. In the distance, 
raised up on piles, were what appeared to me huts, 
but on closer inspection they were discovered to be 
small and unfit for human habitation. These were the 
store-houses in which the slaves were permitted to 
keep whatever corn they raised in the patches of land 
set apart for their use. Underneath each hut were 
sties occupied by pigs of various sizes and conditions. 
These animals were " bought" by the plantation for 
the maintenance of the employes. The use of the word 
" buy" in the transaction must, however, be looked on 
as a euphuism. A purchase of this nature was made 
in my presence, in this wise : One of the superintend- 



SLA VER V. 



59 



ents of the estate called out a woman's name. Almost 
immediately a wretched-looking creature advanced to 
where the superintendent was standing, and, taking up 
a position of absolute subservience, with head bowed 
and eyes cast down, awaited in silence the further 
wishes of the superior being before whom in spirit 
she was prostrated. She had not long to wait. A 
pig was wanted ; she had one ready to be killed ; it 
was to be delivered up, and, in return, she would 
receive two dollars. The poor creature curtsied awk- 
wardly, mumbled an assent, and the " purchase" was 
completed. Not far from those houses we came upon 
an open shed, on two of its sides were placed narrow 
planks, on which a couple of old negro women were 
busy placing a number of tin platters, each one filled 
with what appeared to me boiled maize. This was the 
breakfast of the slaves, who leave the fields at eleven 
o'clock. There was no sign of spoons, and it is rea- 
sonable to suppose the mode of disposing of the 
boiled corn was the same as that adopted by a num- 
ber of naked urchins, who were busy in the kitchen 
diving into the pots, when, much to their disgust and 
confusion, we appeared on the scene. They were en- 
gaged kicking up a "jolly row" over their feast, evi- 
dently not caring a straw for the old women, when 
the shadow of the superintendent was cast in front of 
the shed. Suddenly the noise ceased, and the little 
ones crept stealthily away, until the voice of the man 
of power riveted them to the spot. An authoritative 
" / en aquif" brought a few of the young scamps to -us. 
The poor children looked frightfully guilty, as if to 
eat corn out of a pot were a crime deserving very 
severe punishment; so they shambled towards us, too 



6 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

much afraid not to come, but not at all certain of the 
kind of reception that awaited them. For the most 
part they were fine, healthy children, and, in spite of 
the horribly degrading influences by which they were 
surrounded, bright and intelligent-looking ; quite as 
much so as white children under similar circumstances 
would have been. There was only one lesson taught 
them, and, young as they were, they already knew 
it by heart. It was not to be good or virtuous or 
honest, but to fear and obey the master, if they would 
avoid the whip. There was something irresistibly 
comic in the expression of those faces, smeared with 
the corn, which they had eaten out of their hands; for 
their spirits, though bent, were not yet broken by the 
knowledge of their abject and hopeless condition. 
Dismissed by a wave of the hand, the troop of young- 
sters disappeared with alacrity, and we pursued our 
way to the sleeping-quarters of the slaves. There 
were on the estate one hundred and fifty human chat- 
tels, including some twenty children. The greater 
number were men, most of them natives of Congo, 
one only being a coolie, who, contrary to the repre- 
sentations made about the traffic in Asiatics, was 
treated in every respect in the same way as his sable 
companions in misfortune. 

The sleeping-quarter of the slaves is a low, square 
structure, entered on the side facing the mills by a 
gateway which leads to a large court-yard, or open 
space, around which the sleeping-rooms are placed. 
It is a one-storied structure, divided into five apart- 
ments, — two small and three large, — which were occu- 
pied in common. Nominally the females occupied 
different apartments, but as there was free intercom- 



SLAVERY. 6j 

munication, and no recognition of the marital relation, 
the state of morality can be imagined. At night all 
the slaves are locked in this building, and an armed 
guard mounts sentry to see that none escape. 

In my character of nigger-whipper in prospectu, all 
these details were treated in an exhaustive manner. 
The organization of the slave system is admirably 
adapted to give the largest possible amount of labor 
at the smallest possible cost. If the aim of existence 
were to obtain the greatest amount of work out of the 
human race, without regard to the happiness of indi- 
viduals here, or their fate hereafter, no system could 
be better devised to obtain this result than the one 
adopted on these plantations. At four o'clock in the 
morning the slaves begin their labor in the fields, and, 
under the eye of the task-master, who moves about 
on horseback, armed with a whip which, in New York, 
would expose a bullock-driver to the anger of the 
humane Bergh, continue to work until eleven in the 
day, when they return to the frugal meal we have 
already seen in waiting for them. Through the scorch- 
ing heat of the day men and women are kept steadily 
at their post until ten o'clock at night, when they re- 
turn to their prison to snatch some rest to enable them 
to go through on the morrow the same monotonous 
course of toil. During the summer-time necessity for 
labor is not so great, and the master is content to ex- 
act only twelve hours' sweat from his unfortunate 
bondsmen. Such is the uncolored and unexaggerated 
statement made by the task-masters themselves ; and 
the pictures of misery and suffering it calls up vividly 
to the mind must arouse the indignation of every 
heart in which there dwells a particle of humanity or 

6 



62 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

of love of justice. The plea upon which bad men 
have sought to justify this abomination — that without 
the system of slavery it would be impossible to work 
the plantations with profit to the capitalist — is false. 
And even if it were not, can men be so lost to honor 
and all sense of right as to admit that a few men, for 
their own advantage, have the right to inflict untold 
suffering on their fellow-man, and reduce him to a 
state of degradation little, if anything, removed from 
the brute ? But the system has not even this defense. 
The planters grow enormously rich, and become mil- 
lionaires at the expense of the tears and misery of the 
wretches who toil for their benefit. That such a sys- 
tem can be permitted to exist among men pretending 
to be civilized is an outrage on the common conscience 
of mankind. When one sees the representatives of 
this abomination kneeling before the altar of the God 
of Christians, he must regret the thunderbolts of the 
grand old gods of the past, who, the poets tell us, 
smote in their indignation such criminals. 

After a sharp ride through extensive fields of cane, it 
would have been easy to forget everything but the won- 
derful beauty and fertility which surrounded us, if it 
were not for the erect and soldier-like form of the slave- 
driver. At his side hung the long, formidable machete, 
and the ornamented handle of a dirk peeped out from 
his girdle. These realities reminded me constantly that 
the peace and happiness were only on the surface. 
During the ride, this man told me that from time to 
time some of the slaves escaped into the woods, but 
that in the majority of cases, not being able to obtain 
food, they were obliged to return and give themselves 
up to the authorities, by whom they were sent back to 



SLAVERY. 63 

their masters. It is certainly astonishing that the 
slaves do not rise and kill their persecutors. Slave 
and freeman alike are armed with the terrible machete, 
which at will can be used as a weapon as well as an 
instrument of cultivation. Scarcely any of the em- 
ployes on the plantation carried fire-arms, the moral 
effect of their authority being sufficient to prevent any 
serious resistance on the part of the slaves. The 
Chinamen are by no means as tractable as the negroes. 
They are revengeful, and are looked on as dangerous. 
This is due to their superior intelligence, and their 
keener sense of the wrong done to them. 

On our return from the fields oranges were pro- 
duced, and proved grateful and refreshing after the 
sharp ride in the sun. As soon as the slaves had 
finished their feed, for it would be a misuse of lan- 
guage to call it a meal, they were mustered in front 
of the machine-shed. Each one brought his tin plat- 
ter, and placed it in the general heap. The platters 
being counted and found all right, the men and women 
Mere divided into squads, and assigned to various 
duties. If I had never known anything of slavery 
but what I saw in the few minutes that parade lasted, 
there was enough to make me a determined abolitionist 
for life. Not that any act of violence or brutality was 
committed, for no such occurrence took place, and I 
am quite willing to believe, as the directors assured 
me, that corporal punishment of a severe nature is 
very seldom inflicted on the slaves. It is not neces- 
sary, however, to ascribe this gentleness to any con- 
siderations of humanity, but simply to the fact that it 
is more dangerous to punish the slaves now, because, 
in order to escape the inhuman lash, even these de- 



64 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

graded beings sometimes have latent enough of the 
spirit of manhood to make them fly to the woods, 
where they become the most terrible and the most 
implacable enemies of the white man. They wage a 
war in which quarter is neither asked nor given. As 
an able-bodied slave is worth fifteen hundred dollars, 
and is becoming dearer every day, the running away 
of a slave inflicts serious injury on the master; be- 
sides, it is almost impossible to replace him, as the 
demand surpasses, by ever so much, the supply. 
Knowing this, it did not much surprise me when the 
director asserted that, except in extreme cases, it was 
not the custom on the estate to resort to severe cor- 
poral punishment' It would be impossible to paint in 
words the forlorn and hopeless look of the slaves as 
they stood in a half-circle before the director and his 
assistants. The clothing of men and women alike 
was made out of a coarse stuff used in the manufac- 
ture of coffee-bags. The men's garments were some- 
times intended to represent pantaloons. The covering 
of the women was still more simple. It consisted in 
a kind of loose gown, which, in most cases, fell only 
a little below the knee, being fastened round the waist 
with a rude cord. There seemed to be little or no 
difference in the amount of work expected from the 
women or the men, and, indeed, at first sight, it was 
not easy to discover any difference of sex. For the 
most part, the slaves on this estate are Congo blacks ; 
but a number of them, and nearly all the children, are 
Creoles, with unmistakable evidence of the mixture 
of white blood in their veins. In the older slaves, all 
traces of human intelligence had almost disappeared, 
and their labor seemed to be performed mechanically, 



SLA VER Y. 65 

under the direction of the overseers. In the faces of 
the women not a vestige remained of the softness and 
gentleness of character which we look for in those 
whose destiny it is to be the mothers of men ; be- 
neath the lash of the overseer's whip all thoughts and 
feelings planted by Heaven had been crushed out, the 
light of love extinguished, and the being whom God 
created for a noble end reduced to the level of a brute 
of the field, whose only use was to minister to the 
base passions and avaricious greed of a master. 

View slavery from whatever side we may, we shall 
be able to perceive nothing but moral turpitude as its 
immediate result. Trampling all laws human and 
divine underfoot, we shall see the slave-master and 
his assistants handing over their own flesh and blood 
to this terrible life of degradation, and exposing their 
own children to the lash of the task-master. 

That this terrible crime against humanity is com- 
mitted daily can be seen in the color of the children 
born on the estates, and who, because they are not so 
white as their fathers, are condemned to slavery. A 
system capable of so deadening the best feelings of 
our na-ture as to change human beings into monsters, 
must be regarded by all honorable men as accursed. 
In presence of this awful wrong the church is silent, 
because the slave-holder is rich and powerful. True to 
its conservative instincts, it is on the side of order, as 
represented by the rich, chivalrous slave-driver, who 
sells his own child into slavery, or hands his daughter 
over to satisfy the caprices of some new master. It 
is only when the poor and weak are unjust that the 
modern church can thunder. Not a word is uttered 
against the slave-master here, who, in defiance of all 

6* 



66 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

laws of morality and justice, robs the slave of the 
sweat of his brow, and degrades a creature to the level 
of the brute by forcing him to live in that very social- 
ism which the church denounces in Paris, but shuts its 
eyes on in Havana. The owners of these plantations, 
dwelling in Havana, Madrid, London, New York, and 
Paris, are Christians of the first water. Reverend fathers 
even are known to have an interest in human chattels. 
Owing to the bad treatment and hard work which the 
slaves undergo, they die usually at a much earlier age 
than the white population. Since the stoppage of the 
free importation of slaves from Africa, the difficulty 
in supplying the places of those who have died has 
been constantly felt on the estates, nor has the ex- 
periment of Chinese labor been altogether successful. 
Its effects on the immigrants have been disastrous. 
About seventy-five per cent, of the coolies die during 
the eight years they are forced to labor by their con- 
tract. Very few of them can be persuaded to renew 
the contract, and the severest and most unjust laws 
are enacted in their regard to force them to work 
either for the benefit of a master or for the govern- 
ment. 

In cases where they have succeeded in over- 
coming all obstacles and establishing themselves in 
business, they are exposed to the extortions of the 
police, who can ruin them at any moment. The con- 
dition of the coolie after he has fulfilled his contract 
is almost as bad as while he is on the plantation. He 
is treated as were the Jews in the Middle Ages. In 
many cases these coolie immigrants are very bad 
characters, and prove anything but a desirable acquisi- 
tion on the estates. They are more malicious and 



SLA VER Y. 



6 7 



infinitely less tractable than the negro, and consider- 
able prejudice exists against them among the nigger- 
driving fraternity. In some cases the immigrants 
come voluntarily; but in the majority of cases they 
are decoyed and carried off, or induced to leave their 
country on false pretenses. An anonymous society in 
Havana, at the head of which is one of the richest 
planters on the island, has gone largely into the coolie 
business, which, under present conditions, is more 
remunerative than the old slave-trade used to be. 

While at Havana I visited a Portuguese steamer 
which had just arrived from Macao, with a cargo of 
Celestials, some eight hundred and eighty-nine souls, 
all told. As I mounted the gangway, the shaven 
heads and round faces, with piercing eyes, of a crowd 
of Chinese were popped over the vessel's side, and 
they seemed as much amused with my appearance as 
I was with theirs. Everything on board the ship had 
been put into apple-pie order, and if it had not been 
for the threatening-looking iron grille, that cut off all 
approach from the coolie quarter of the ship to the 
quarter-deck, as well as the appearance of two small 
ship cannon, so placed as to sweep the decks in case 
of attack, one might have thought himself on board 
of one of those floating herring-boxes known as 
immigrant ships to the habitues of the port Of New 
York. With the permission of the captain, I went 
through the ship until I found a Celestial who had the 
reputation among his fellows of speaking English. 
Unfortunately, his vocabulary was very limited, or I 
should have been able to get a pretty history from the 
cargo. His story, so far as he could tell it, was no 
doubt representative of many of the rest. He had 



68 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

been to California some years ago, and had returned 
to his native land with some money. Having settled 
down, he married, and, things going wrong with him, 
he accepted an offer of a situation in Macao, for which 
port he embarked ; but, instead of being taken to 
Macao, he was put on board a coolie ship and carried^ 
to Havana. The poor fellow seemed to feel very much 
for the two juvenile Celestials and his wife, who were 
left without protectors or support by his absence. 

In the case where this absolute bad faith is not 
exhibited, a deception scarcely less cruel is practiced. 
They are induced to engage themselves with the pros- 
pect of high wages, which to their eyes is fabulous, 
but which, in the different condition of society in 
which they find themselves on their arrival here, 
scarcely suffices for their support. The impossibility 
of communicating with the people by whom they are 
surrounded makes their position more hopeless even 
than that of the blacks. The Congo traders could allege, 
with some appearance of truth, that, however bad the 
position of the slave on the plantation, it was certainly 
better than it had been in his native land. There was 
a speciousness in this argument sufficient to smooth 
consciences not over-tender ; but no such pretense can 
be put forth in defense of the coolie traffic. Here we 
have men of a high order of intelligence, citizens of 
a free nation, whose civilization was old while the 
remote ancestors of their masters were still savages 
as degraded as the Congo negroes enticed from their 
homes to be carried into servitude. It was only neces- 
sary to see the contrast between the new immigrants 
— full of strength and intelligence — and the wretched 
wrecks of humanity who survived the contract system, 



SLA VEK Y. 



6 9 



to understand the fatal result of the new slave-trade. 
The nine hundred Celestials crowded on the coolie 
ship in Havana could compare favorably, both physi- 
cally and mentally, with a similar number of people 
taken at random from the population of any country. 
That they were not altogether willing immigrants was 
proved by several revolts which had to be repressed 
before the arrival of the ship in port. However, the 
profits of this infamous traffic are too great to allow 
any considerations of right or justice to weigh with 
those engaged in it. 

According to the information furnished to me by 
the officers of the ship, there are regular agencies 
established in the Chinese ports, having ramifications 
in the interior, whose business it is to supply car- 
goes to the coolie ships. For each coolie shipped 
the agent receives fifty dollars ; but he has no claim 
to his money until the " emigrant" is actually aboard. 
The cause of this clause is, that quite a number of the 
unfortunates, after being delivered to the boats, throw 
themselves into the water, preferring to be drowned, 
or to take the risk of drowning, to being carried into 
slavery. Once on board, there is little chance of escape, 
as the hatchways are guarded until the ship puts to 
sea. As the coolie represents a certain amount of 
cash, no unnecessary hardships are inflicted on him, 
unless there should be a revolt eAdangering the safety 
of the crew. In such circumstances death is dealt out 
unsparingly, until the captives are reduced to obedi- 
ence by terror and have been taught how hopeless is 
a conflict of unarmed men with a well-armed and de- 
termined crew. It is very difficult to obtain reliable 
information of what passes on board during the voyage; 



;o 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



as all the crew are compromised, and before entering 
port everything is put into apple-pie order. I was 
rather surprised to find the coolies well, and cleanly- 
dressed in cheap suits of a strong cotton texture. 
Remarking this to one of the engineers, a sleek, oily 
Englishman, he informed me that each one was sup- 
plied with two suits, and that, by contract, the master 
who should purchase these coolies would be obliged 
to supply two suits annually to each man. The im- 
pression sought to be made on my mind by this oily 
person was that the Chinese were very well treated 
indeed, although he told me one of the passengers, 
who had been a professor in a Chinese college, was 
trying to get up a petition to government, complaining 
of the wrongs that been done to them. Poor fellow ! 
He little knew what a misfortune it is to fall among 
Christians, and how little justice he could hope for in 
a so-called civilized community. 

As I expressed some surprise at the coideur-de-rose 
picture the oily engineer had drawn from his interior 
consciousness, his assistant, who was a thorough John 
Bull, blurted out, " Yes, they looks well, and clean 
enough now, because they've been awashed and 
bathed, and got new clothes ; but you ought to 'ave 
seen 'em a week ago. There warn't a whole shirt 
among 'em all." This outburst of candor on the part 
of the assistant quite shocked his oily superior, who 
looked deprecatingly at the assistant, remarking, at the 
same time, that while at sea it was very difficult to 
keep the coolies clean. I did not appear to attach 
any importance to what the assistant had unguardedly 
blurted out, as it might have got him into trouble, 
especially if it was afterwards discovered that the in- 



SLA VER Y. 



71 



quiring individual to whom he had so unguardedly 
expressed himself was a newspaper correspondent. 
Some of these immigrants I afterwards encountered 
on my way through the country, being conveyed, 
under guard, to the plantations of the men who had 
purchased them. There was no pretense on the part 
of any one to regard them in any other light than 
as slaves ; the only difference being that, after a lapse 
of eight years, they would be entitled to their liberty, 
should they have the good or bad fortune to survive 
the hardships and cruelties to which, during that 
period, they were certain to be exposed. Kept at 
work, for an average of fourteen hours a day, with 
the necessity of working for themselves on the holi- 
days if they wished to have the means of procuring 
even the most ordinary luxuries in which the poor in- 
dulge ; exposed to a trying climate, without proper 
food or proper care, it is not to be wondered at that 
within the time of contract seventy-five per cent, of 
the immigrants perish, though, for the most part, they 
come into the country in the prime of manhood. 

Such is the demand for labor, that the planters will- 
ingly give five hundred dollars for the use of an able- 
bodied Chinaman during eight years. The profits of 
the traffic can, therefore, easily be calculated. The 
nine hundred human beings brought to market in the 
ship I visited were worth some four hundred and 
fifty thousand dollars to the importers ; and, as they 
had cost originally less than fifty thousand, the anony- 
mous society had some four hundred thousand dollars 
as the result of the voyage to meet contingent ex- 
penses. Never in the palmiest days of the African 
slave-trade were such tremendous profits realized, and 



72 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



it is needless to say that, so long as the law per- 
mits this infamous traffic, it will flourish with the 
proverbial rankness of ill weeds. 

The abolition of slavery in Porto Rico caused the 
greatest consternation among the Negreros or slave- 
masters. Every effort was made by the slaveocracy to 
prevent the Captain-General carrying out the instruc- 
tions from Madrid. The slaveocracy in Cuba look on 
America as the chief cause of all their misfortunes. 
They allege that from jealousy of their prosperity 
the Americans desire to force the immediate liberation 
of the slaves. They pretend to be willing to abolish 
slavery at some future day, if they are only allowed 
time. Some think they would be ready in ten years, 
others claim that twenty years should be allowed for 
the gradual extinction of slavery. 

The granting of immediate liberty would, according 
to the slave-masters, result in anarchy; but it is not 
certain that ten years hence the slaves will be any 
better fitted for liberty than they are now. If there 
was any honesty in the pretended desire to abolish 
slavery, steps would have been taken looking towards 
gradual emancipation. But the fact is, the ardor of 
the Negreros in favor of gradual abolition is simply a 
skillful move to postpone indefinitely the settlement 
of the question, and, unless some strong power inter- 
feres, slavery will be maintained in Cuba to the day 
of judgment, at least so far as the will of the slave- 
masters is concerned. Their cry about the " opportu- 
nity" of the abolition movement is only an effort to 
gain more time, and would be repeated with the same 
insistance ten or twenty years hence. If the Negreros 
are so anxious that the field should be cultivated at 



SLA VER Y. 



73 



any cost of human suffering, let them cultivate them- 
selves. For myself, I do not see why the blacks 
should not have a turn at driving as well as the whites ; 
and, since the planters are so anxious for the interest 
of sugar-eating humanity, it ought to be a labor of 
love for them to cultivate the cane. When it has been 
watered with the sweat of their brows, it will taste to 
them sweeter than ever. Such a proposition will make 
them very indignant, for when they preach the neces- 
sity of industry, they mean that others should toil and 
sweat while they enjoy the fruits of the labor. Just 
now the position of the slave-owners is full of anxiety 
and uncertainty. The sentiment among the native 
population is very much in favor of the abolition of 
slavery, but the Spanish immigrants feel that it would 
weaken their hold on the island, and are to a man 
opposed to the proposed change. It is almost impos- 
sible to arrive at the opinion of the colored population. 
For the most part they are sunk in the deepest igno- 
rance, but many among them are people of refinement 
and education. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ON THE CONFINES OF CUBA LIBRE. 

Failure to penetrate into Camarguey — No Guides procurable — Cien- 
j fuegos — Voyage along the South Coast — Las Tunas — Night at a 
Cuban Fonda — Suspicious Companions — Pleasure of Cuban Travel 
— Waiting to be potted — Spanish Soldiers' Views of the Insurgents 
— Santo Espiritu — Alarmist Warnings — Man-hunting — Poverty — 
Voyage to Santiago de Cuba. 

The visit to the sugar plantation cured me of any 
desire to pry further into the secrets of the slave sys- 
tem. My whole attention was therefore directed to 
pushing on to Puerto Principe overland, but to my 
astonishment this was not feasible. No guides would 
venture to accompany me even so far as Santo Es- 
piritu. It was stated that though no very considerable 
force of insurgents remained in the district, small par- 
ties were still frequently encountered. The dangerous 
region began at the outskirts of the town, and no one 
would venture a mile into the country without an 
armed escort. It was useless to offer the most tempt- 
ing bribes ; no one could be induced to face what was 
esteemed certain death in venturing into the myste- 
rious region of Cuba Libre. The mirage-like frontier 
advanced and receded like phantom lakes in the desert. 
But though the frontier might be a phantom, the dread 
inspired by the spirits who wandered free within the 
mystic confines was proof that they were not " such 
stuff as dreams are made of," but solid bone and 
74 



ON THE CONFINES OF CUBA LIBRE. 



75 



muscle. Under these circumstances it became neces- 
sary to abandon the idea of reaching the Eastern De- 
partment through Camarguey. My object was to see 
Cespedes if alive ; and if dead, his successor ; and 
bring back as much information about the state and 
prospect of the insurrection as could be gathered in a 
hurried passage through the Cuban lines. In my 
interview with Madame Cespedes, before leaving New 
York, that lady indicated clearly that Cespedes's head- 
quarters would be found east of the Cauto, in the 
mountainous regions lying between Cabo Cruz and 
Santiago de Cuba. This was my objective point ; but, 
as it was improbable I would have an opportunity of 
acquainting myself with the state of the Spanish por- 
tion of the island after my return from Cuba Libre, 
I resolved to visit Santo Espiritu, in the hope of 
finding the military operations carried out on a large 
scale, before proceeding to Santiago de Cuba. The 
Villa Clara Railway joins the Cienfuegos line at Las 
Cruces. The railroad passes through a wild and un- 
interesting country to Cienfuegos, a new and prosper- 
ous town, laid out with great regularity. It possesses 
a magnificent harbor, and the inhabitants are remark- 
able for their energy and industry. Here I embarked 
on the South Coast steamer for Las Tunas, which is 
about two days' sail to the east. The scenery along 
the coast, especially in the neighborhood of Trinidad, 
was singularly impressive, and appealed to the imagina- 
tion in all the majesty of utter desolation. Before the 
war the lower hills and the valleys near the coast 
were highly cultivated, but during the struggle all the 
estates have been abandoned or destroyed. So far as 
the eye can reach nothing is now visible but dark 



7 6 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



masses of forest- clad hills, whose awful stillness is 
unbroken by any sign of habitation. Until a late 
period the almost inaccessible mountains and forests 
in this region gave shelter to important bands of in- 
surgents ; but the construction of the trocha southward 
had the effect of causing the majority of the bands to 
abandon the district, from fear of being cut off from 
their friends in the Central and Eastern Departments, 
where from the outset the chief strength of the insur- 
rection has lain. This abandonment of the Cinco Villas 
was one of the causes of dispute among the Cubans 
which led to the deposition of Cespedes by the Cuban 
Congress in November, 1873. 

Although the Cuban sympathizers with whom I 
had come in contact admitted the actual state of 
affairs with a certain amount of frankness, I was un- 
willing to accept anything on mere hearsay, and there- 
fore persisted in my intention of going to Santo Espi- 
ritu. A fog detained us some twelve hours beyond 
our time, but at last we arrived at Las Tunas, an 
embryo town, situated on a tongue of land. It is 
the seaport of Santo Espiritu. As only one train 
a day runs each way, I was obliged to put up at one 
of the tiendas for the night. The tienda was a large 
wooden frame house, built in the American style. 
It was hotel, grocery, and general store combined. 
There were several rooms which appeared chiefly to 
be used to stow away old lumber when not occupied 
by the guests, and one of these was divided into 
several compartments by thin wooden partitions, 
some seven or eight feet high. One of these boxes 
was offered to me ; but as the house was likely to be 
crowded by rather rough-looking passengers who had 



ON THE CONFINES OF CUBA LIBRE. 



77 



arrived by the same steamer, I declined the offer, and 
requested a room to myself. This was puzzling ; but 
as I was prepared to pay, it was arranged that a hall, 
or communication between the tienda and the sleep- 
ing apartment, should be fitted up for my accommo- 
dation. Scarcely had this arrangement been made 
when the other travelers began to pour in. Every 
one was curious to know my business, as my care 
about being alone immediately created the impression 
that I had a large sum of money, and was apprehensive 
of being robbed. At night I could hear my fellow- 
travelers discussing me and my probable wealth. 
It was agreed a person so careful of himself must have 
plenty of money about him ; but as the doors of my 
room fastened with bolts on the inside, these specula- 
tions gave me no uneasiness. 

Next morning I found the hour of starting depended 
on the amount of freight to be embarked, and the more 
or less industrious frame of mind of the colored men 
whose business it was to load the wagons. About two 
o'clock in the afternoon we steamed out of the station, 
which is about a quarter of a mile distant from the 
town, in the midst of a salt swamp. 

Here a guard of soldiers came on board, and dis- 
posed themselves about so as to command a good 
view of the country, — that is to say, of the woods and 
bushes, that, after a few miles of sand and swamp had 
been passed, extended for leagues on all sides during 
three-fourths of our journey. As we approached 
Santo Espiritu the country became more open, and 
signs of cultivation appeared. On the way, I managed 
to get into conversation with one of the guard, who 
seemed to me a likely subject to know something 

7* 



yS THE MAMBI-LAND. 

about the war; he was just the sort of fellow to drive a 
martinet to desperation. Untidy, and with a suspicion 
of the picturesqueness of dirt about him, but with a 
devil-may-care look in the eye, and a certain hard ex- 
pression about the mouth, which was drawn at the cor- 
ners. He had been inspecting me rather attentively, 
and I was expecting every minute a request to exhibit 
my papers, — a formality which I confess to disliking 
heartily. A lucky stopping of the train in a deep 
cutting to take up wood for the engine, furnished me 
with a pretext to inquire the cause of the delay, and 
once the ice was broken the soldier and I got on very 
well together. He informed me that he had been 
over three years in active operations, and that it was 
pretty tiresome work. Like most of the Spanish sol- 
diers, he entertained a supreme contempt for an enemy 
that never fired except from an ambuscade. He had 
been engaged with the insurgents any number of 
times, but had very seldom seen any of them. " They 
lie in wait," he said, deprecatingly, " in the forest, and 
fire just one volley, when they run away, and, as they 
know all the paths in the forest, they generally make 
good their escape. Most of the white men have been 
killed, or have surrendered themselves, and there are 
only the negroes remaining in the wood now. It is very 
difficult to find them, for they might be lying at twenty 
yards' distance in the forest where we pass by without 
our discovering them. In the interior of the forest 
the brushwood is so thick that we are obliged to cut 
our way through with our machetes. We have now 
got bloodhounds, however," he said, with animation, 
"and we can follow them into their hiding-places." In 
answer to an inquiry as to what they did with their 



ON THE CONFINES OF CUBA LIBRE. yg 

prisoners, the soldier simply said, " Nearly all the 
white men have presented themselves, and we do not 
take many black prisoners ; they are generally killed 
if found with arms ; but if they present themselves, 
they are sent back to their masters. When the blacks 
catch a white man they kill him." 

According to this man's computation, the refugees 
in the woods of the Santo Espiritu district did not 
number more than one hundred, and these, he said, 
were divided up into small bands, that never attacked 
any party of armed men, but cut off travelers and 
stragglers without mercy. Even when cornered, as 
sometimes happened, or surprised by parties of troops 
sent out in their pursuit, these negroes did not offer 
any very desperate resistance, but seemed to endeavor 
to escape to their hiding-places until the danger was 
passed. The soldier made this statement frankly, and 
without any clue to my character, which might have 
induced him to color the picture. 

As we approached Santo Espiritu, we met a few 
large Cuban villages, in each of which are stationed a 
party of troops occupying a kind of block-house. Seen 
from the railway, there was nothing particularly notice- 
able in these places ; but I was afterwards informed 
that a large part of the inhabitants were in a state of 
destitution bordering on starvation. This misery is 
attributable to the severe orders of the Spaniards, 
compelling the concentration of the people in the 
small towns and villages, where they have been deci- 
mated by famine and disease. 

In the town of Santo Espiritu there is also great 
suffering, caused principally by the war. Strings of 
poverty-stricken women were to be met going from 



So THE MA MB I- LAND. 

house to house to beg a little rice to keep soul and 
body together. In the faces of many of these could 
be read tales of sorrow ; and the brow of many a one 
among them was .darkened by the impending shadow 
of the angel of death. The same difficulty of procuring 
horses and a guide willing to accompany me by the 
land route forced me to abandon the idea of entering 
Camarguey. None of the Spanish party would ven- 
ture alone with me into the neighborhood of the 
insurgents, who seemed to be everywhere and no- 
where ; and no Cuban would expose himself to the 
suspicion of the authorities by accompanying me. 
Nothing, therefore, remained but to return to Las 
Tunas and take the steamer to Santiago de Cuba. 



CHAPTER V. 

CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 

Santiago de Cuba — Introduction to Brigadier Morales de los Rios — 
Invitation to accompany a Spanish Expedition against the Insur- 
gents — Colonel Sostrada's Courtesy — The Troops in Marching 
Order — Introduction to the Officers of the San Quintin Battalion — 
On the War-path — The Halt — Spanish Commissariat — Sick Soldiers 
— The Spanish Troops on the March — Night Encampment — Dining 
on Campaign — Generous Hospitality of the Spanish Officers — The 
Reveille — Counter Orders — Ride with Lieutenant-Colonel Lopez — 
Slave-owners and Soldiers — The Cubans and the Peninsulars. 

The evening, or rather the night, of my arrival at 
Santiago de Cuba, Mr. Ramsden, the British Consul, 
presented me to the Governor of the town, Brigadier- 
General Morales, on the public square, as an Irish 
gentleman traveling through the island. The general 
was already aware that I was the representative of the 
New York Herald, and as it was difficult to talk freely 
among the crowd of promenaders, General Morales 
invited me to the palace. He expressed himself de- 
sirous to be of service, and enable me to see the exact 
state of the island for myself. I thanked him for his 
kindness, and assured him that it would give me great 
pleasure to avail myself of whatever facilities he might 
be pleased to afford me. 

Without any solicitation on my part, he offered to 
allow me to accompany a column which would leave 
in the morning on an expedition that was expected to 

81 



82 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

last for ten days. Ample opportunity would thus be 
afforded me to observe the operations of the campaign. 
Most willingly would I accept the offer, I told the 
brigadier, but, unfortunately, having arrived only the 
same morning, I was not provided with horses for my- 
self or servant, nor with the means of transport for the 
necessary provisions. The brigadier at once informed 
me that the column would give me a horse, and the 
officers be most happy to receive me as their guest 
during the expedition. He then introduced me to 
Lieutenant-Colonel Sostrada, the commander of the 
column. This gentleman expressed himself well 
pleased at having the representative of an impartial 
journal to accompany the Spanish troops, and give a 
fair account of the war. The troops, he informed me, 
were ordered to march at half-past six in the morning, 
and it would be necessary to be at the railway station 
at that hour. He also advised me to provide myself 
with a hammock and blanket, — no easy matter at half- 
past ten o'clock at night. As it was necessary to 
make some hurried preparations, I took leave of Brig- 
adier Morales and Colonel Sostrada, to go in pursuit 
of the hammock and blanket, which, thanks to the 
good services of a friend, I secured. 

It was still dark when I started from the hotel in 
the morning, under the guidance of one of the servants. 
In his anxiety to have me up in time, the propri- 
etor roused me some hours before it was necessary. 
Arrived at the station, I found it already occupied by 
troops belonging to the mounted contra-guerrillas. 
All was stir and bustle. The embarking of the horses 
was proceeding rapidly and without confusion. The 
men who were not engaged in this service were gath- 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 83 

ered around a vender of coffee and cognac, who had 
improvised a restaurant on a rough deal table. I 
watched the proceedings with considerable interest, 
and found commendable order and organization to 
exist. These irregular troops were the scouts of the 
army, being in large part recruited from the native 
population and surrendered insurgents. They render 
invaluable service to the Spaniards on account of 
their knowledge of the mode of warfare carried on by 
the Cubans, as well as their acquaintance with the 
country. For the most part they are armed with 
Remington rifles, and all of them carry the formidable 
machete. The uniform worn by the troops on cam- 
paign consists of coarse linen trousers and blue cot- 
ton jacket, with a broad-brimmed straw hat, sometimes 
covered with white calico, and ornamented with a red 
or green band. As the contra-guerrillas moved out of 
the station, the regular infantry arrived, and took their 
seats in the train. They appeared to me to have seen 
much service, but in the dim light of the morning it 
was not possible to examine them very closely ; be- 
sides, I was resolved to form my judgment of them 
more by their actions than their looks. A few mo- 
ments later, I encountered Colonel Sostrada, who re- 
cognized me, and ordered one of the soldiers to take 
charge of my very slim baggage. As soon as every- 
thing was ready, the colonel invited me to take a seat 
by his side. The other officers of the battalion occu- 
pied seats in the same carriage, but no introduction 
was tendered to them, a circumstance which at first 
surprised me, but the explanation was soon forth- 
coming. The officers were in fighting trim, offering 
rather a strange spectacle to one only accustomed to 



84 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



the pomp and splendor of the parade-ground. All 
the little adornments of the person in which gallant 
militaires delight had been laid aside ; even of the in- 
signia of rank there was only retained the absolutely 
necessary. There was scarcely any pretense of uni- 
form ; even the showy sword had been exchanged for 
the more useful machete. A few wore the regulation 
cap, but by far the greater number selected for head- 
gear straw hats, which were more useful than orna- 
mental. From these signs I had hopes that serious 
work was intended, and that if fortune favored me I 
was going to be present at that somewhat intangible 
thing called a Cuban battle. After a toilsome ascent 
to Christo, the train stopped to take on board the re- 
maining companies of the regular battalion. As this 
would occasion some delay, we got off the train. Here 
the colonel called the officers of the battalion together, 
and formally introduced me as the representative of 
the New York Herald, specially recommended to them 
by Brigadier Morales to be looked upon as un nuevo 
compahero. The officers, who appeared to be a good 
set, bowed to their new comrade, and afterwards I was 
free of the corporation. This ceremony through, we 
embarked again for St. Luis, the termination of the line. 
The voyage over the railway from Santiago de Cuba 
to St. Luis is one of the most interesting that can be 
made. The grade is "so steep that for the greater part 
of the way it is with difficulty the engine can drag its 
freight up the incline.- The track lies along the side 
of steep mountains, crossing deep valleys on wooden 
trellis-work, where the slightest accident would hurl 
train and passengers to inevitable destruction. The 
scenery is very beautiful, the wild grandeur of the 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 



85 



mountains being relieved and softened by the culti- 
vated llanos, or bottom-lands, where the sugar-cane 
and corn-stalk give evidence of human interest. For 
the most part the mountains are clothed to their tops 
with the palm, the seiba, and the mango, which rise, 
file above file, until they seem lost in the clouds. The 
chief characteristic of this district is savage grandeur, 
and it is to me exceedingly strange that the insurgents 
do not take measures to destroy a line which it would 
take thousands of troops to defend from a bold and 
enterprising enemy. It is true that the Spaniards 
have the line strongly occupied, but it has so many 
weak points that if it were vigorously attacked it must 
be crippled. I expressed these views to the Spanish 
officers, and they were of my opinion. They adduced 
the fact as a proof of the inability of the Cubans to 
meet the Spaniards in anything like an open fight, 
All the points of vantage along the line are occupied 
by little wooden forts, garrisoned by from ten to fifty 
men, which, at a distance, resemble huge pigeon-boxes. 
In some instances they are surrounded by a shallow 
ditch, and at others a weak- and totally ineffective 
chevaux-de-frise of bamboo had been constructed. 
Small openings are made in the wooden planks to 
enable the soldiers to fire through, and on the top of 
each is a square frame with shutters, capable of being 
raised or lowered at will by the sentinel, who from 
this elevated point keeps watch and ward over the 
country. The first impression made on my mind by 
one of these structures was tinged with a sense of the 
ridiculous, for it strongly suggested a living Jack-in- 
the-box. As a matter of experience, however, they 
have been found to answer admirably the purpose for 

S 



S6 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

which they had been constructed. Every Spanish 
officer to whom I spoke on the matter assured me that 
in no instance had one of these towers been captured 
by the enemy when defended by the troops. This 
statement, however, is not literally true. Many of 
them have been surprised by the insurgents, but as 
they would not repay the trouble and loss of storm- 
ing, the insurgents wisely avoid them. They are very 
unprofitable subjects for attack by men destitute of 
artillery, and, as they contain little else than a few 
days' provisions for the garrison, the insurgents think 
le jen ne vaut pas la chandelle. 

By the time we arrived at St. Luis the morning was 
far advanced, and the sun shone out with tropical in- 
tensity. Under these circumstances, the colonel or- 
dered the noonday halt, in order that the men should 
be able to breakfast and repose during the great heat 
of the day. There Was now ample opportunity to ob- 
serve the appearance and condition of the men. For 
the most part they were bronzed and weather-beaten, 
but still strong and vigorous. The effects of the cli- 
mate and the constant fatigues to which they were ex- 
posed were visible in a great number of faces, whose 
expression showed clearly that the constitution was 
already undermined. For the most part, these men 
had suffered from the fevers of the climate, brought 
on by exposure to the weather, sleeping in the damp 
woods without any other protection than a blanket 
afforded, as the troops are wholly unprovided with 
tents or a sufficient supply of healthy food. Al- 
though we were within two hours' ride by rail of 
Santiago de Cuba, the troops were obliged to eat bis- 
cuit, — a circumstance that reflects very little credit on 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 



87 



the administration of the Spanish army. In connec- 
tion with this subject, inquiries since made show that, 
bad as the commissariat department is at present, it is 
an immense improvement on what it was some time 
ago. In all countries the commissariat department is 
the favorite refuge of rogues, but it is open to doubt 
whether the soldiers of any other army would con- 
tinue to support the great fatigues to which these 
Spaniards are exposed on such poor food. The fault 
is not with the regimental officers, for they sympathize 
with the men, whose sufferings they are often obliged 
to share, but with the higher officials, who grow rich 
at the expense of the poor fellows who are daily ex- 
posing their lives in defense of the honor and integrity 
of Spain. It has always appeared to me a strange 
contradiction that while the private soldier who, 
prompted by hunger, steals, is severely punished, the 
well-paid official who robs the troops not only escapes 
hanging, but is received as an honored and worthy 
member of society. Many credible persons have 
assured me that more than one commissary-general 
has returned rich to Spain after a sufficiently short 
term of office; yet no inquiry has been instituted as 
to how he managed to acquire a fortune while living 
in a style that must have absorbed the income to 
which he was honestly entitled. Matters had reached 
that stage where a change becomes a necessity, when 
General Riquelme took command of the Eastern 
Department. Convinced that unless the soldiers 
were fed they would die, he introduced consider- 
able reforms, which, although they leave much to be 
desired, are yet an immense improvement on the old 
supply department. 



88 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

On leaving the train, the men stacked arms and 
rested in the shadow of the houses until their simple 
meal was cooked. There was no hurry ; and the 
officers informed me that, except in case of extreme 
necessity, they always allowed the men to repose 
during the noonday hours, — a precaution which tends 
to alleviate the effects of the climate. Colonel Sos- 
trada, having some matters to attend to in relation to 
his command, left me in charge of the doctor of the 
battalion, Patricio de la Corte y Baez, who proved to 
be an agreeable and intelligent companion. With him 
an opportunity was afforded me of seeing the sick. 
Some few men were suffering from fever, and had to 
be left in the hospital ; others were suffering from old 
wounds or accidents. In all cases the men seemed 
to receive careful attention and humane consideration. 
What struck me most was the absence from the visite 
of the carrotier class, or those feigning sickness. 
Nearly every man who appeared bore in his face the 
confirmation of his story, and there were many men 
even in the ranks who, judging from their appearance, 
ought not to have been taken into the field. As soon 
as the colonel had given the necessary orders, he re- 
turned and requested me to accompany him in a visit 
to the colonel commanding in St. Luis, who desired 
to be introduced to me. At breakfast the place of 
honor was given to me, and on that and all subsequent 
occasions I was treated with an attention and courtesy 
that will remain engraved on my heart forever. 

Towards two o'clock in the afternoon the troops 
were ordered to fall in, and some minutes later were 
defiling before me. The colonel placed at my disposal 
his horses, and, having selected one, I took my place 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 



89 



with him at the head of the column. We were accom- 
panied by Lieutenant-Colonel Lopez, the adjutant, 
Captain Valderrama, and the doctor, Patricio de la 
Corte y Baez, who made up our party, or mess, during 
my short stay with the Spanish forces. We were now 
really in campaign, and at night would reach the edge 
of the territory where Spanish power claims to rule 
without dispute. From the moment we left St. Luis, 
we marched with all the precautions of war, and two 
negroes carrying stretchers reminded one that disa- 
greeable accidents might happen at any moment. 
These negroes had been captured during the war, and 
had attached themselves to the battalion, refusing to 
leave even when offered their liberty. One of them 
had been decorated for courage on the field in succor- 
ing the wounded under fire. The country through 
which we passed was cultivated at intervals, but some 
of the estates were abandoned. The cane continued, 
however, to grow, though the careful husbandman 
was no longer present to care for or to reap it, and the 
rich harvest, waiting vainly for the reaper, seemed to 
reproach proud and insensate man for his violence and 
senseless ambition. As we moved into the interior 
the country became wilder, and we passed through 
large districts of wooded country. 

Our first halt was made at the Ciudad, an estate of 
medium extent, in full operation. It was guarded by 
soldiers, as all the estates in this district are, to prevent 
the insurgents from destroying them. Here the pro- 
cess of sugar-making in all its details was carefully 
and minutely explained to me. Leaving this estate, 
we directed our march to Santa Anna, the last estate 
in this district now in operation. It is situated to the 

8* 



9 o 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



northeast, at the apex of the triangle formed by the 
range of mountains known as Dos Bocas and the 
prolongation of the range to which the Gran Piedra 
belongs. Here we were to halt for the night, and in 
the morning plunge into the mysterious land of un- 
known dangers known as Los Montes, or, contemptu- 
ously, La Maniqua, or Cuba Libre, but which I prefer 
to designate the Mambi-Land. Mountain and plain 
are covered by dense forests, where the insurgents, 
or patriots, as they are variously styled, according to 
the sympathies of the speaker, defy the power of 
Spain. From the patches of wooded country through 
which we passed, I, was able to comprehend the enor- 
mous difficulties that lay in the way of the pacification 
of the island by force. Many of the points on the 
march, if properly taken advantage of and well de- 
fended, could only have been forced by superior 
numbers at a great sacrifice of life. Fortunately, 
nothing occurred during the march to spoil the pic- 
turesqueness of the scene by introducing the horrible. 
The long line of soldiers on either side of the road, 
that now dipped into valleys through which flowed 
shallow streams, now wound with serpentine course 
over the low hills, marched along silently and patiently, 
their blue jackets and white pantaloons dotting the 
valley's sides, producing a very animated and pleasing 
effect. More than once I turned in my saddle to enjoy 
the scene so full of life and color. No painter could 
transfer it to canvas ; for its subtle pleasure lay in the 
constant change of color and grouping occurring every 
instant, presenting to the eye new combinations. Quite 
a number of these transverse valleys cut the road, and, 
had we been burdened with artillery or wagons, would 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DOXS. 



9 1 



have offered considerable difficulties to our march. On 
the road I learned that the battalion with which I had 
the honor to march was known as the San Quentin, 
and was one of the first to leave Havana for the war. 
It had continued in campaign during the four years 
of the insurrection. During that period it had been 
engaged, more or less seriously, with the enemy in 
more than ninety engagements. In some of these 
the battalion had suffered heavily, but, according to 
the Spanish account, had always managed to repay, 
with interest, the attentions of the enemy. The San 
Quentin was a representative corps, well fitted to 
sustain the honor of the Spanish arms. 

We reached Santa Anna about five o'clock in the 
afternoon. Colonel Sostrada, the director of the estate, 
and myself visited the Quaninica River, which is re- 
markable as the haunt of an immense number of alli- 
gators. On the opposite bank we could see the dark 
mass of buildings belonging to an estate that had been 
destroyed by the rebels. It belongs to one of the 
leaders of the insurrection. The crop on this estate is 
burned down regularly eveiy year to prevent the 
Spanish authorities deriving any benefit from it. Before 
the war there were on the Santa Anna plantation some 
four hundred slaves, but the insurgents carried off the 
greater part. Many of these were either recaptured, 
or, having no stomach for fighting, returned volun- 
tarily, so that the estate could muster at the time of 
my visit some eighty hands. While I was making the 
round of the buildings with the director, the prepara- 
tions for dinner were completed, and on my return the 
mess was waiting for me. During dinner the officers 
paid me the most delicate attention, nothing being 



Q2 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

neglected to make me feel completely at my ease. Our 
dinner was quite a recherche affair, and by far the best 
I had eaten from the time of my arrival in the island, 
and it had the advantage of being seasoned with the 
spice of good-fellowship. After the cloth had been 
removed most of the officers of the battalion assembled 
around the table to while away the time, chatting and 
recounting stories of accidents by flood and field. We 
would have had songs also, but the only guitar of 
which the battalion boasted had come to grief. Before 
the evening was over I was on the best footing with 
all the officers. The subject of my mission and its 
fulfillment was discussed, not with the company, but 
at intervals with some of the officers with whom I had 
established more intimate relations. All professed 
themselves anxious that a fair and impartial statement 
of the status of the insurrection should be given to 
the world. They were especially desirous that the 
impression which had gone abroad about the Spanish 
army should be corrected. At the same time there was 
not the slightest apparent desire to interfere with the 
independence of my judgment or the free expression 
of my opinions. The statement that the Spanish 
troops killed all their prisoners was strenuously denied. 
It was claimed that all prisoners taken are given up to 
the higher authorities, who, of course, dispose of them 
as they think fit. This, however, amounts to much 
the same thing, as the prisoners who escape death by 
the machete in the woods are in nearly every case 
shot by sentence of court-martial, to strike terror into 
the Laborantes in the towns. 

In the first years of the insurrection, not alone were 
the prisoners taken in arms executed with very little 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 



93 



ceremony, but citizens simply suspected of connection 
with the insurrection were taken from their houses, 
and shot after the form of trial had been gone through 
before a drum-head court-martial. So many instances 
of cold-blooded butcheries have been cited to me, both 
by respectable foreigners and Cubans, that this charge 
must be held to be proved against the Spanish authori- 
ties. The opinions of the officers of the battalion St. 
Quentin reflect credit on them, but they are by no 
means shared by all the officers of the army. On the 
contrary, it is by no means an unusual thing to hear 
the opinion openly expressed, even at hotel tables, that 
until the shooting of the civilians is recommenced the 
country will never be pacified. On one occasion an 
officer, dining at the same table with me, went so far as 
to surest that the families of all men known to be in 
the field should be exterminated. I remarked to him 
that such a course would, no doubt, be effective, but 
that the civilized world would scarcely permit its 
adoption. From this it will be seen that there exists 
considerable difference of opinion as to the measures 
that should be taken to stamp out the insurrection. 
While the Spanish supporters point to the men who 
have been pardoned, the Cubans recount the long list 
of the men slain in cold blood. The executions of the 
past have unquestionably cowed the Cuban popula- 
tion ; but they have also deepened the hate and detes- 
tation with which the Spanish government is regarded, 
and if by any chance the Cubans could get the upper 
hand, they would probably exterminate the Spanish 
population. The off ccrs of the St. Quentin battalion 
were particularly desirous of impressing me with the 
opinion that the people of the island were in favor of 



94 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



the Spaniards. With this view they named a number 
of gentlemen serving in the army, who they assured 
me belonged to the crhne de la creme of Cuban society. 
My own experience, however, contradicts this, for 
nearly all the young men of intelligence with whom I 
have come in contact hate the Spaniards with incon- 
ceivable bitterness. 

But much as they hate the Peninsulars and Catalans, 
they fear them more. The Spanish immigrants, rude 
and energetic as they chiefly are, do not conceal the 
contempt they feel for the more intelligent but effemi- 
nate Cubans, and so every day deepens the hatred and 
distrust between them. On the Spanish side there 
enters into this question a sentiment of patriotic pride 
that, however mistaken, is still respectable. Some- 
times this feeling leads to the commission of acts 
which, when the hour of passion and excitement has 
passed, even the ultra Spaniards regret ; but whatever 
wrong is done by the Spanish soldiers, they at least 
expose themselves bodily to the consequences. This, 
of course, is not a justification ; but it shows an earn- 
estness and a belief in the justice of their cause that 
we may look upon as political fanaticism, but cannot 
despise. 

In my conversations with the Spanish officers, the 
points on which they principally laid weight were, that 
the insurgents possessed neither lands nor towns, and 
were totally unable to offer effective resistance to the 
march of even one Spanish battalion. Like all regular 
troops, they complain bitterly that the insurgents would 
never show themselves in the open field, but fired from 
ambuscades, and then retreated. It never seemed to 
strike them that an enemy has a right to choose what- 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 



95 



ever tactics he pleases, and that there is no law, moral 
or international, to compel a soldier to stand just in 
the position his enemy wishes in order to allow him- 
self to be shot down with greater facility. 

Each Spanish soldier is supplied with one hundred 
and twenty rounds of ammunition, besides having a 
reserve supply on the mules, while there are moments 
when there are not a thousand rounds of ammunition 
in a Cuban battalion. This fact has much to do with 
the tactics of the Cuban troops. Even the Spanish 
officers admit this, as the following anecdote related 
to me by one of them will show : A volunteer in the 
direction of Cerredero suddenly found himself con- 
fronted by four Cubans, who presented their rifles, 
ordering him to surrender ; not relishing the idea, he 
refused, and prepared to defend himself with his 
machete. The position at once became complicated, 
for the Cubans had not a single cartridge between 
them, and were obliged to cut the volunteer down 
with their machetes. The appearance of a party of 
troops prevented them finishing the work, and the 
plucky volunteer escaped with a severe wound on his 
lower jaw. Little incidents of this kind enable one to 
form a pretty accurate estimate of the condition of 
things in Cuba Libre. If the insurgents could be 
completely cut off from communication with the outer 
world their position would indeed be desperate, but 
the arrival from time to time of even small supplies 
will enable them to hold out indefinitely. In order to 
note how these expeditions were regarded by the 
Spanish army, I informed a number of officers at dinner 
of the safe arrival of Colonel Agiiero, with a consid- 
erable supply of munitions of war; the effect was 



9 6 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



electrical. The officers had been chatting and joking 
in quite a merry mood, but the news acted like an 
extinguisher on their good spirits ; there was not much 
said, but pretty decided opinions were expressed as to 
the value and activity of the navy. One officer stated 
his firm conviction that if he lived he would see the 
twentieth year of the independence of the Cuban re- 
public, as he had seen the fifth. The Spaniards con- 
stantly assert that the insurrection is contemptible so 
far as its means of resistance or power of aggression 
is concerned ; but when asked why they do not sup- 
press it, they point to the difficulty of the country and 
the impossibility of crushing an enemy that only fights 
when he pleases. ' In this lies the greatest danger to 
the dominion of Spain, for it is impossible to conquer 
an enemy who can accept or refuse combat at will. It 
is now pretty generally felt that in attempting to re- 
conquer St. Domingo Spain has brought upon herself 
a severe punishment. It was that campaign which 
taught the Cubans how they could free themselves 
from the sovereignty of the Peninsula. From what- 
ever point of view this struggle is regarded, there 
seems to be no escape from a disastrous ending for 
the Spanish arms. If the question were to be settled 
by an open war, the Cuban republic would soon be 
counted among the things of the past ; but it must be 
decided by the power of endurance of the hostile 
parties. The position is this : The Cubans possess a 
small army in the field, but behind that army are hun- 
dreds of thousands of sympathizers, from whom the 
losses by disease and death are constantly repaired. 
As the natives do not suffer much from the diseases 
that prove so fatal to Europeans, the principal gaps in 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. 



97 



the ranks are made by the bullets of the Spanish 
soldiers ; but as these, according to their own account, 
never see the enemy, even when engaged with them, 
the losses from bullets cannot be very heavy, and are 
easily made good. On the other hand, the Spanish 
troops are constantly on the march, exposed to the 
inclemency of the climate and the special diseases of 
the country. How fatal these prove, aggravated by 
the fatigues undergone by the troops, may be judged 
from the statistics furnished me by the officers of 
the Staff. Since the outbreak of the rebellion, it 
appears from the official record that one hundred 
thousand men have been sent to Cuba. Of these, some 
twenty or thirty thousand, at a very liberal calcula- 
tion, remain. Six thousand officers have fallen victims 
to disease and bullets in the same period ; these are 
not the statistics of Cuban sympathizers, but have 
been furnished to me by officers of the army, the most 
determined in their resolution to suppress the insur- 
rection. From this it will be seen that if the number 
of the insurgents in the field has diminished, the 
means at the disposal of the government for their 
suppression have diminished to a still greater extent. 

There is another reason, also, why the chances of 
putting down the insurrection are lessened by time. 
In the beginning the Cubans knew little about war, 
and, though numerous, were by no means formidable 
enemies. Now, however, the men in the field have 
acquired considerable skill in the use of their arms, 
and the habits of obedience and control so necessary 
in warfare. The troubles in Spain, it is felt, will 
eventually so paralyze the government as to prevent 
the dispatch of reinforcements to Cuba. In view of all 

9 



9 8 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



these difficulties, it is no wonder that even among the 
Spanish officers there is growing up a feeling that the 
war will be interminable, — that is, if Spain can find the 
men and money to continue the struggle. It is a 
strange commentary on human intelligence, that under 
the specious plea of patriotism a people can be induced 
to make so great and so appalling sacrifices, in order 
that some few hundred men may continue to enjoy 
their ill-gotten wealth ; for there is no escaping from 
the fact that these thousands of Spanish lives, and the 
wasted millions wrung from a people sunk in poverty 
and wretchedness, have been wasted in defense of a few 
hundred slave-owners. The Spanish nation derives no 
profit from the connection with Cuba : at most a few 
government employes become rich by stealing from the 
government they are supposed to serve. These people 
are very loud in professions of patriotism, and all the 
time they are crippling their country by putting a no 
inconsiderable portion of the revenue into their own 
pockets. This is a fact so notorious that even the 
gentry in question will scarcely attempt to deny it. 

My authorities for the statement are almost every 
man I met who had had any dealings with the govern- 
ment employes. On the question of their rapacious- 
ness there is no second opinion. Merchants have told 
me of transactions in which they were themselves en- 
gaged which would have appeared to me incredible, 
but that the information came from sources beyond 
suspicion. Testimony as to the general dishonesty of 
officials is borne by men of all parties and all condi- 
tions. 

The discussion of my mission and the state of the 
island was carried on by the officers of the St. Quentin 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. gg 

battalion in the best humor and with marked delicacy. 
There was evident a strong desire to present the 
Spanish side of the question in as favorable a light as 
possible. The points presented were, however, nearly 
always the same. On the side of Spain were to be 
found all the valor and humanity, while the insur- 
gents, as at present constituted, were principally igno- 
rant and ferocious blacks, who waged not a war for 
freedom, but a war of extermination against the whites. 
In so far as this touched my own safety, I was assured 
that should any of the bands of negro marauders en- 
counter me, my character as a neutral correspondent 
would avail me little. These assurances caused me 
considerable uneasiness, for even the Laborantes, or 
Cuban sympathizers, told me the same thing, and I 
began to look on my mission as a rather unpleasant 
enterprise. However, the very blackness of the pictures 
drawn aroused my suspicion as to their correctness. 
Cuba appeared to me a land of Croque-Miiaines, where 
every danger was magnified a hundred-fold by the fears 
of the inhabitants, who live in a state of mental darkness. 
The slightest occurrence assumes awful proportions, 
because there is no means of throwing light on the 
shady places. The government, even when it tells the 
truth, is never believed, not even by its supporters. 
This is the natural result of the efforts constantly made 
to present a coulcur-de-rosc view of the situation. 
The presence, therefore, among the soldiers of a rep- 
resentative of the New York Herald, which was felt 
not alone to be free to express its opinions on all that 
passed, but also to be tinged with sympathy with the 
Cuban cause, excited no little interest. The officers 
from the first expressed themselves pleased that I 



IOO 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



should accompany them on what they hoped would 
be a long and interesting expedition, and there was a 
universal wish that the enemy would show himself, in 
order that the world might receive an impartial 
account of a Cuban battle. Full of hope that the 
morning would see us on our way to those myste- 
rious woods where the insurrection has its strong- 
holds, we all turned in, but were destined to disap- 
pointment, for during the night Colonel Sostrada re- 
ceived orders to return in the direction of St. Luis, and 
to await further orders. This news threw a damper on 
all our enthusiasm ; but as it was looked on only as a 
change of direction, the circumstance was not much 
thought about. The halt was made at the Caridad 
estate, where the column was to remain until further 
orders. Colonel Sostrada, accompanied by the adju- 
tant, rode lo St. Luis to communicate with Brigadier 
Morales by telegraph, and returned in a few hours with 
news that the battalion would remain stationary until 
further orders. Colonel Sostrada told me that I was 
at liberty to remain or to return to Santiago de Cuba. 
This surprised me, as I had not spoken a word about 
leaving. I told him that I had come out to make the 
expedition with the battalion, and was inclined to re- 
main until it was ended, if my presence was not incon- 
venient. He replied that the officers of the battalion 
would be delighted to have me remain. There was no 
definite reason given for the sudden abandonment of 
the expedition, and, as the subject was a delicate one, 
I did not make any pressing inquiries. It afterwards 
became known, however, that as soon as the battalion 
marched north a portion of the insurgents marched 
south, and others appeared threatening the plantations. 



CAMPAIGNING WITH THE DONS. IOI 

In view of these movements, the battalion was ordered 
back to protect the harvest. A letter had been sent by- 
Colonel Sostrada, about me, to Brigadier Morales, 
but no reply was received to it. The general opinion 
being that the column would remain stationary for 
some time, there was no object to serve in delaying 
my return to Santiago de Cuba, and so I resolved to 
say adieu to my new friends. On taking leave, Colonel 
Sostrada expressed the regret of himself and the other 
officers that I should be obliged to go away so soon. 
He seemed very anxious lest the impression should go 
abroad that the column retrograded from fear of the 
enemy, or that there was any force in front capable of 
barring the passage of the battalion. When assured 
that no such opinion was entertained by me, he re- 
plied, " I know you are too polite to express such an 
opinion ; but I fear that such has been the impression 
made on your mind by the sudden return of the 
troops." He evidently felt only half satisfied, anti was 
as much annoyed as I was at the unexpected termina- 
tion of the expedition. 

During my stay with the Spanish troops, I had been 
the object of unceasing attention. Nothing that could 
add to my comfort was neglected, and I was treated 
more like a spoiled child than the special correspond- 
ent of a paper which is assumed to be hostile to Span- 
ish rule in the Antilles. Commander Lopez, one of 
the most distinguished officers of the battalion, accom- 
panied me to Santiago de Cuba. We rode from the 
encampment at Caridad to the station of Christo — a 
distance of five long leagues — without any guard. 
This surprised me not a little, as the district is very 
wild and mountainous, and at times we rode through 

9* 



I0 2 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

the bush for miles without meeting any living thing. 
We passed many a point where one cool fellow with 
an old shot-gun and a taste for hedge-shooting could 
have disposed of both of us before we could have 
pulled rein ; but fortunately we arrived at the station 
of Christo without encountering any enterprising 
mambi. From this point we traveled by the railroad 
on a hand-car, worked by two negroes, to Santiago de 
Cuba. The work was not difficult, for after the first 
few hundred yards we were on an inclined plane, and 
our only trouble was to keep the drag on so that the 
car would not rush down with dangerous velocity. 
The evening of my arrival I presented myself at the 
palacio. Brigadier Morales was absent, but the chief 
of staff expressed regret at the termination of the ex- 
pedition, promising that notice should be given me as 
soon as the next column left for the insurgent district. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PREPARING TO RUN THE GAUNTLET. 

Return to Santiago de Cuba — Stabs in the Dark — The Debatable 
Land — An Invitation withdrawn — Curious Conduct of a Cuban 
Planter — The Reign of Terror — Refugees in the Wood. 

The turning back of the Spanish column has always 
been a puzzle to me, and there lurks in my mind a 
suspicion that the real cause was my presence, which, 
no doubt, was distasteful to the higher authorities. 
Short as was my stay with the Spanish troops, it cre- 
ated a new difficulty to the fulfillment of my mission. 
Nothing could well have been more awkward for me 
than the invitation to accompany the troops, and yet 
it was impossible to refuse without giving some ground 
for the suspicion that my mission was intended to be 
one-sided and partial. The apparent friendliness of 
the authorities at Santiago de Cuba prevented the 
Cuban sympathizers communicating to me any useful 
information. With a Machiavelism quite worthy of 
masters in the black art, the Spanish party carefully 
spread rumors that however neutral my professions 
were, I \vas in reality trying to serve the interests of 
Spain. Matters were not at all minced, and it was 
confidentially whispered about on authority that the 
Spanish government had won me by purchase. To 
have resented this cunning slander would have been 
worse than useless, it would have been folly, for either 

103 



104 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



it had been invented in order to provoke a personal 
altercation, when I would have been handed over to 
some practiced sword, or it was intended to betray me 
into a public denial, which would have had the effect 
of confirming belief in its truth. So long as no one 
made the assertion in my presence, in an unfriendly 
spirit, it was clearly the wiser course on my part 
wholly to ignore it. This treatment proved thor- 
oughly successful, and in a few weeks the slander, if 
not forgotten, ceased to circulate actively. 

During my stay at Santiago my whole attention was 
directed to gaining, if it were possible, the confidence 
of the Cuban population, without appearing to interest 
myself in their affairs, or mingling much in their 
society. Not very many Cubans were anxious for 
my acquaintance, and those who offered themselves 
most freely were just the class of men who could be 
of no possible service to me. As an indication of the 
state of terror in which the Cuban people live, the 
following experience will not be without value. A few 
days after my arrival in Santiago de Cuba I was intro- 
duced to a gentleman named Bell. He is the grandson 
of the person mentioned in the romantic narrative 
known as "Tom Cringle's Log." The readers of that 
book will remember Ricardo Campafia, who is intro- 
duced as a thrifty and successful Scotch planter (in 
the books the Scotch always puff themselves as thrifty, 
cunning, and successful) ; but as it happened that 
Ricardo Campafia was a thrifty and successful Irish 
planter, his grandson, Ricardo Bell, received me as a 
countryman of his grandfather with much cordiality. 
This gentleman's acquaintance promised to be of real 
utility to me, as his plantation of Esperanza was one 



PREPARING TO RUN THE GAUNTLET. 



I05 



of the extreme outposts of the Spanish lines. It 
would, therefore, afford me a magnificent basis of 
operations, if only I could obtain an excuse for going 
there. The gentleman who introduced me to Mr. 
Bell did not info.m him that I was the New York 
Herald correspondent, but only that I was an Irish 
gentleman traveling in the island. That was title 
enough to Mr. Bell's hospitality, and, on my express- 
ing a desire to visit Ti-Arriba, a town close to the 
Esperanza plantation, a warm request was made that 
I should remain at " Esperanza" during my stay in 
the neighborhood. This offer was accepted by me, 
as it would enable me to make myself acquainted 
with the country without suspicion. I was already 
congratulating myself on my good fortune, when, next 
day, Mr. Bell called to request me not to avail myself 
of the invitation, as it might compromise him in the 
eyes of the authorities. The invitation, he assured 
me, was given in ignorance of the fact that I was the 
correspondent of the New York Herald, and this I 
knew to be a fact. Mr. Bell expected me to feel 
annoyed ; but the matter did not surprise me in the 
least. It only showed how deeply terrorism had pene- 
trated Cuban society. Mr. Bell was well known to be 
a loyal man ; his brothers were officers in the army 
and navy, and his family lived in Spain ; yet all this 
did not free him from apprehension in case he should 
be suspected of friendly communication with a Herald 
correspondent. Not content with making this explana- 
tion to me, Mr. Bell thought it due to his own safety 
to purge himself of suspicion, and went directly to 
the governor, Morales de Los Rios, and related to 
him the story of the invitation and its withdrawal. 



I0 6 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

Morales was wise enough to see that Mr. Bell's ultra 
loyalty had led him to disclose the terrorism under- 
lying the surface of an apparently peaceable and 
contented society. The executions on very slight 
suspicion of treason had been so cruelly and vigor- 
ously carried out that the people were completely 
cowed, and trembled at the mere idea of incurring 
the displeasure of the authorities. 

Some experience of war had prepared me for the 
difficulties of passing through the Spanish outposts, 
but the peculiar nature of the struggle in Cuba was so 
distinct from all I had witnessed that my calculations 
proved to be completely at fault. My expectation 
was to have found the combatants occupying tracts of 
inhabited country more or less well defined, and that 
a rush through some carelessly guarded point in the 
Spanish line would enable me with certainty to reach 
the Cuban outposts ; or that the insurgents were en- 
abled constantly to communicate with their friends in 
the Spanish lines by means of Arrieros and travelers 
passing from one town to another. Under either con- 
dition it would not have been very difficult to make a 
junction with some of the Cuban forces, but a little 
acquaintance with the country and the disposition of 
the troops soon convinced me of my mistake. Owing 
to the forced concentration of the rural population 
around the forts, the Spanish lines occupied all the 
cultivated country, and they were guarded with as 
much care as their extent would admit of; beyond the 
outposts all was silent, mysterious, and unknown. 
Districts formerly inhabited had been reduced to 
howling deserts ; both parties vying in the savage 
relentless destruction, until whatever would afford 



PREPARING TO RUN THE GAUNTLET. 



IO7 



shelter or food to man had disappeared. No one was 
admitted to pass the outposts, except along certain 
lines of communication accompanied by a military 
guard. In the debatable land lying beyond, every 
man found was an enemy, and subject by severe mili- 
tary law to immediate execution. Strong Spanish 
columns marched and countermarched through the 
desolate regions, burning whatever miserable leaf- 
covered shanties they encountered, wreaking ven- 
geance on the wounded, the sick, and the weakly, 
whose infirmities shut them off from escape, and hunt- 
ing like bloodhounds the ill-armed and wretchedly- 
supplied soldiers of the Cuban republic. 

The latter, unable for the most part to deliver battle 
to their pursuers from want of ammunition and arms, 
as well as from numerical inferiority, were constantly 
moving from point to point through the wild and un- 
cultivated regions of the interior, so that it was impos- 
sible to know in what point the Cuban forces could 
with certainty be met. It had been stated in New 
York, by persons who ought to have been better in- 
formed, that the Cuban camp-fires were visible from 
Santiago de Cuba. In the beginning of the insurrec- 
tion this was true, but it was no longer so, though 
Cuban encampments could still be reached in a day's 
march from Santiago de Cuba, if one were at liberty to 
pass through the Spanish lines. However, this infor- 
mation was only gained -after a great deal of trouble 
and many fruitless search expeditions. All the lines 
of communication with the interior were carefully 
guarded by troops, and without considerable acquaint- 
ance with the topography of the country it would be 
very difficult to pass safely through the lines. The 



108 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

country round Santiago de Cuba is, in all directions, 
exceedingly mountainous, and hill and vale are cov- 
ered by dense woods, except where clearings have been 
made for plantations. A few tracks have been opened 
through the woods, and have been dignified by the 
name of roads, but for the most part they are mere 
mule-paths. These roads in all cases lead through the 
posts and camps of the Spanish troops. On either side 
dark, impenetrable woods extend; through these pass 
trails only known to the skilled guides, and so slightly 
are they marked that even when following them it is 
difficult to distinguish the path. Only those who have 
seen a tropical forest can form an idea of these dark 
woods, with their giant trees, thorny bushes, cactus 
plants, and trailing lianes, gracefully pendent, swing- 
ing from branch to branch, and wound round trunk 
and limb of trees in most wonderful tracery, beautiful to 
the view, but well-nigh impossible to pass through. 
On foot a man armed with the useful machete could 
succeed in making his way in, but with infinite labor 
and sore trouble ; whether or not a man unskilled in 
woodcraft would ever make his way out is more than 
doubtful. My impression is, that anything like a 
serious plunge into these awful woods without a guide 
would end in death from starvation, after hopeless 
efforts on the part of the rash adventurer to extricate 
himself. At least such was the conclusion forced on 
me as I surveyed from the summit of the mountains 
lying between Ramon las Yeguas and San Luis the 
magnificent panorama of mountains, valley, and plain, 
forest-clad in all primeval grandeur far as the eye 
could reach, a solitude scarcely broken save by chirp 
of grasshopper and monotonous whirr of winged in- 



PREPARING TO RUN THE GAUNTLET. l0 g 

sects, and the infinite noises that in the tropics make 
morn and eve hideous. 

In the depths of these woods fugitive families and 
disabled patriots have opened little clearings ; but as 
every effort is made to conceal these homes of misfor- 
tune, it is next to impossible to discover them even by 
the aid of most skillful guides. Hid away in the most 
silent solitudes of those gloomy forests, little colonies 
of freemen, accepting rather suffering, want, danger, 
and death than submission to slave-masters, toil and 
watch and suffer, waiting for the terrible night of 
agony -and sorrow to pass by. These are the disabled 
or the unarmed, the guides, the prefects, the toilers, who 
sow and reap that the soldiers of liberty, in the hour of 
disaster and defeat and bodily pain, may have bread to 
eat to restore shattered strength, and cheer in the hour 
of darkened hope. The wounded, the cancerous, the 
fever-stricken, are here conveyed and lovingly tended 
until the sharp pang of the wound has ceased and the 
delirium of the terrible fever has fled, thanks to bark 
decoctions made with unfair but most loving hands. 
Often the fierce Catalan, with bloodhound scent, f nds 
his way through the tangled path, and bursts wrath- 
fully on the startled dwellers. Woe to the wounded 
wretch disabled from flight ! Small will be the measure 
of mercy shown to his helplessness. Happy is he if 
the eager, ruthless soldier cleave the unprotected head 
with life-crushing stroke ; worse may be his fate should 
life continue when the slaying fierceness has abated 
with assured victory, and the cruel savage glee sets in: 
then the victim dies the lingering death a thousand- 
fold more terrible than the short pang of the swift 
battle-stroke. While this knowledge was forcing itself 



IIO THE MAMBI-LAND. 

on my mind, there still lingered hope, growing hourly 
fainter, that a friendly hand would be outstretched from 
the misty and dark uncertainty in which I wandered 
to conduct me to the sinuous path that led to Cuba 
Libre. Anxious that none should suffer through me, 
I soug'it no confidences, content to accept whatever 
risks were incidental to my mission. Without asking 
to know who were labovantes, or who were not, I 
simply whispered in ears that seemed friendly my sur- 
prise that no sign was made by the patriots, no word 
of advice or anonymous hint sent me that would place 
me on the right road ; as there could be no risk in 
some of the guides, or messengers, who were con- 
stantly passing between the town and insurgent camp, 
meeting me on the lonely roads where daily I rode 
unaccompanied. 

At last came a vague hint that in the direction of 
Ti-Arriba it might be possible to open communica- 
tions with some of the Cuban forces. In this hope I 
at once set out alone, as was my custom. No notice 
was given to the authorities of my departure, in order 
to test the amount of freedom to travel which could be 
counted on. My previous voyages of exploration, 
combined with the frequent use of my pocket-compass, 
enabled me to find my way with a certain amount of 
facility. The utter loneliness of the road, and, at 
times, the awful grandeur of the solitude, produced in 
the soul a feeling of awe not unmixed with terror. 



CHAPTER VII. 

IN SEARCH OF THE MAMBI-LAND. 

My First Expedition — Cuban Town in the Interior — Lonely Ride 
through the Country — Pursued by Auras — Ti-Arriba — My Quarter — 
Los Voluntaries — Esperanza — Herald Ball — Visit to a Fortified 
Ingenio. 

Leaving Santiago de Cuba and following the Guan- 
tanamo road, the little town of Caney is the first and 
only village of any consequence encountered between 
Santiago and Ti-Arriba. Before the war it was a 
pretty and prosperous town, as it is here called, but 
war has left its traces in a most unmistakable manner 
on the place, and it looks as deserted and silent as a 
ruined city in a desert. Not but that there are still 
some inhabitants, but they do not seem to belong 
to the place, but only to be camped in it, or wander- 
ing ghost-like about their houses, which are mostly 
shut up, bolted, and barred. The market-shed, in 
the centre of the town, was occupied when I passed 
through by a company of soldiers, who were engaged 
burnishing their arms, brushing their coats, arranging 
their packs, evidently getting ready to parade, but 
their bustle seemed no part of the life of Caney, but 
something foreign and contrasting with it. Then there 
were some thirty sleepy, lazy-looking men with guns, 
very dirty, very ragged, with large straw hats having 
broad red or green ribbons around them, upon which 
was stamped a printed announcement to let the whole 



H2 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

world know that these were the volunteers of Caney, — 
the heroic sons of the soil who, for the consideration 
of twenty cents a day, were willing to forget that they 
were Cubans and fight for the flag of Castile. Their 
affection, however, for Castile never got so far as the 
soap : probably it was never pushed quite so far, lest 
it should be washed away. Be that as it may, the 
heroes were very dirty and rather ragged, and looked 
like shreds of the original population of Caney saved 
from the war deluge. Leaving the soldiers out of the 
picture, everything was desolate and ruinous in that 
waste of half-deserted houses. The very atmosphere 
of the place was depressing in spite of the mountain 
air and sunshine, and, as I passed, the streets moaned 
audibly under my horse's hoof-strokes. The road im- 
mediately begins to ascend the Sierra Maestra, and for 
leagues winds along the sides of precipitous hills, with 
fertile valleys a thousand feet below, and little huts of 
squatters perched above where apparently only winged 
things could arrive. The view at many points along 
the road is of a grandeur wholly indescribable by pen 
or brush, embracing the fertile valley of Santiago de 
Cuba, with the town seen in the distance, and the sea, 
with a stretch of beach running eastwards, foam- 
crowned, while the dark-green sea beyond lies in the 
deepest repose, fading away in the infinite distance 
until lost in the very skies. The road was almost 
abandoned, but now and then, during the first stage, a 
convoy of pack-mules, coffee laden, accompanied by 
an armed escort, was encountered, or an old soldier, 
or messenger, traveling from the military posts and 
ingenios, to Cuba. In all cases these people were 
colored men, and armed. At first this puzzle me 



IN SEARCH OF THE MAMBI-LAND. lx ^ 

very much, as they were ragged-looking and dirty 
enough to be denizens of the Manigna. They were 
evidently surprised to see a white man alone, and on 
all occasions they held their guns ready to fire on the 
least show of hostility. I paid no attention to these 
warlike demonstrations, but rode on demurely. My 
peaceful air saved me from interruption or annoyance 
for a long while, though most of the fellows evidently 
did not trust me much, for they always spurred their 
horses as they passed, so as to avoid any possible 
treachery. 

Gradually, however, the region of plantations was 
left behind, and I traveled hour after hour without 
meeting evidence of the existence of a human being, 
passing through gullies, sliding down the beds of 
mountain streams almost dried up, fording others un- 
comfortably deep, and plunging through stretches of 
morass, going at hap-hazard, with no other guide than 
my compass, and yet somehow stumbling into the 
right track. It was not a veiy pleasant ride ; the 
silence was oppressive, and some portions of the road 
presented so wild an appearance that one might very 
well be excused for wishing himself some miles away. 
As I passed through a stretch of forest where the 
Spaniards had felled the trees for a considerable dis- 
tance on either side of the road, a flock of auras — the 
vulture of the country — absolutely pursued me for 
miles. They evidently looked on me as almost as 
good as done for, so they flocked to the feast that was 
good natured enough to come to them. From time to 
tims the flock would settle down on the tree-branches 
some fifty yards ahead of me, and wait for my ap- 
proach, evidently thinking that I had gone far enough, 

IO* 



ii4 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



and that it was unfair to keep them waiting ; but as I 
passed they would rise with a hoarse, croaking noise, 
and proceed to head me, having, to all appearance, 
made up their minds to try how I tasted. Now this 
funeral cortege was by no means to my liking, as I had 
not the remotest idea of being eaten if it could be at 
all avoided, so I resolved to try if a shot would not 
rid me of my persecutors. Unfortunately, my gun 
had been left in Santiago, or I should have lessened 
the flock considerably. When they settled again in 
front of me, I took out my revolver and rode up slowly 
to where they were waiting, and stopped my horse. 
Not one of the auras stirred, so I could take as good 
aim as the uneasiness of my horse would allow. It 
was not easy to cover my object, but at last I thought 
I had one fellow pretty well sighted, so I fired ; the 
flock rose immediately, but the bird I had aimed at did 
not. He was not killed, however, but he was badly 
hit, and the blood stained his black plumage. The 
lesson was not lost on the flock, for though they 
circled about, croaking and screaming, they gradually 
disappeared, and I was certainly very glad to be rid 
of them. 

On emerging from this pass, a small military post, 
placed on a commanding eminence, compelled me to 
give an account of myself. This was the first time any 
Spanish soldier interfered with my free movement. 
The soldiers were easily satisfied, and gave me some 
valuable directions about the road to be pursued. 

It was late in the afternoon when the sentinel posted 
in the block-house that defends the southern side of 
Ti-Arriba halted me peremptorily, with a demand to 
know my business, and why I was alive. Having 



IN SEARCH OF THE MAMBI-LAND. jj- 

satisfied him on these important points, I was per- 
mitted to ride into the main street of the pueblo. Ti- 
Arriba is one of the extreme advanced posts of the 
Spanish lines. It consists of a number of bohios, a few 
frame houses, and two considerable block-houses. The 
place looks frowsy and wretched, and it scarcely sur- 
prised me when, in reply to a request for lodging and 
entertainment at the principal tienda, I was told to 
try elsewhere. There was only one other place that 
appeared likely to act as temporary hotel, so I went 
there. It was the tienda of the Capitan de Partido, or 
mayor of the village. He consented to give me 
shelter and pot-luck. But before I could make final 
arrangements to get stowed away in a kind of lumber- 
room communicating with a bakery, where dough was 
nightly kneaded and roasted into indigestible bread, it 
was necessary to produce my cedilla, to show that I 
was a person authorized to travel. My arrival had 
created quite a sensation, and all kinds of speculations 
were indulged in as to what my business might be. 
No traveler had ventured for years to ride to Ti-Arriba, 
and the sudden apparition of a foreigner, coming from 
no one knew where, caused considerable uneasiness. 
My riding-boots, revolver, and heavy machete gave me 
a military look which drew on me the suspicions of 
the community. The military commandant, a con- 
sumptive lieutenant-colonel, and his second in com- 
mand came down on purpose to inspect me ; and, as 
I had no permission to carry arms, the commandant 
was about to offer me accommodation in the block- 
house, when a messenger, riding in hot haste, arrived 
from Santiago de Cuba. He placed a letter from 
Morales de los Rios in the hands of the commandant, 



XI 6 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

which quite softened that functionary in my regard. 
It was very decent of Morales, who would have acted 
like a reasonable man had it not been for the idiots in 
Havana. 

The letter of Brigadier Morales made me a person 
of importance in the eyes of the hybrid inhabitants 
of the pueblo, and I was shown to my quarters with 
many excuses for their unsuitableness to so distin- 
guished a sefior as myself. In truth, some apology 
was needed. My quarters consisted of a miserable 
little lumber-room, off a bakery, where a settle bed 
had been arranged for me. The walls were hung 
round with pieces of harness and a most curious col- 
lection of odds and ends. Through crevices in the 
walls the air circulated freely, and chinks in the roof 
allowed me to count the stars at night. However, 
this is rather an advantage, and affords distraction 
as soon as one becomes used to it. The bare earth 
formed the floor, and at night I went to bed by the 
light of a miserable candle stuck in a stone bottle, 
which did service as candlestick. Ti-Arriban hotel 
accommodation is idyllic in its simplicity. 

The population of Ti-Arriba was almost wholly com- 
posed of colored volunteers and some few Catalan 
shopkeepers. The volunteers were not very formid- 
able. They were nearly all men who had been insur- 
gents, but had surrendered from various causes, and 
now were in arms against their ancient comrades. It 
is true they did not do very much active damage to 
the Cubans, although from time to time they issued 
out on formidable scouts in the direction opposite to 
that in which they knew the enemy to be. Sometimes 
they even burned the encampments of the insurgents; 



IN SEARCH OF THE MAMBI-LAND. 



117 



but it was when the latter had gone away. When not 
engaged in their warlike toils, they managed to live in 
idleness on their scanty pay, eating sweet potatoes and 
drinking cane rum at about ten cents a gallon, so that 
it cost them only about five cents to make half a dozen 
drunk. So as their days passed in loafing, and their 
nights in dancing and drinking, it may well be imag- 
ined that the gallant fellows would not put an end to 
the war for any consideration. Hence patriotic devo- 
tion displays itself from time to time in furnishing the 
insurgents with food and ammunition, in order that 
the war may last forever. In this they only imitate 
their betters ; for what would the generals and the 
commissaries do if the extraordinary expenses, which 
mostly go into their pockets, should suddenly be 
stopped? The Spaniards know very well that they 
could not trust these volunteers if they should for a 
moment be unable to bribe them, and nothing is more 
likely than that some day the whole volunteer tribe 
will cut their officers' throats and join the insurgents. 
Already thousands of them have done so, and there 
is little reason to doubt that thousands more will 
follow. If that should happen, Spanish rule will be at 
an end, for, though they do not often put themselves 
to any great trouble about fighting, yet they act as 
guides, leading the Spaniards to points they could 
never reach without their assistance, for these men 
have the same wonderful instinct, or power, of finding 
their way about in a forest that novelists have endowed 
the American Indian with, — a power rivaling the sense 
of scent in animals. As it was my intention to make 
this place the basis of my immediate operations, it 
was necessary to get on good terms with the people. 



Il8 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

The shortest and most expeditious way to do this 
appeared to me to be the giving a ball and free 
whisky. So, having asked and obtained permission 
of the military commander, and got the civil authority 
to undertake the arrangement, cards were issued to 
all the colored ladies and gentlemen, as well as to the 
mere white men and civil and military authorities, 
requesting the pleasure of their company at the 
Herald Ball. I rode out to the Esperanza planta- 
tion to invite the military commandant, whose friend- 
ship I was anxious to cultivate, and some of the 
directors, whose acquaintance I had made, to give me 
the favor of their company. 

It was a huge joke ; but I kept a solemn face all 
through, and had the delightful pleasure of seeing the 
ball-room crowded with the elite of Ti-Arriba, the mili- 
tary and civil authorities of the town and district, and 
all the pretty girls within reach. Music was supplied 
by a fine organ, specially manufactured to play dance- 
music ; and, as the rum was plentiful, and a drop of 
wine for the ladies to the fore, the fun was soon fast 
and furious. That night will not soon be forgotten in 
Ti-Arriba, — the Herald ball was an event ; and when 
the hour arrived at which, according to law, the fun 
should cease, the commandant did not have the heart 
to refuse an extension into the wee hours of the morn- 
ing. How that dance ended I know not, for I retired 
to my lumber-room about midnight, and was lulled to 
sleep by the hum of human voices mingled with the 
shuffling of feet and the loud barbaric grinding of the 
organ. There was a general headache in Ti-Arriba 
next morning, and I was declared to have merited 
well of the community, which, from a strictly moral 



IN SEARCH OF THE MAMBI-LAND. 



II 9 



point of view, was somewhat doubtful. As I had ex- 
pected, the ball enabled me to gather information that, 
were it not for unforeseen circumstances, might have 
proved extremely useful. For the next few days my 
time was occupied riding about the country and paying 
one or two visits to the Esperanza plantation, in order 
to study a very peculiar phase of Cuban life under 
the existing condition of things. For now, in Cuba, 
the plantation is turned into a kind of fortress, of 
which a feudal baron of the good, or rather bad, old 
days might have been pardonably proud. It is rather 
difficult to convey by a mere pen-and-ink description 
the imposing and formidable appearance presented by 
the fortified buildings of a Cuban plantation ; but, in 
order that some slight idea may be formed of an object 
which plays such an important part in the insurrec- 
tionary struggle, the accompanying sketch is given. 

These improvised forts serve exactly the same pur- 
pose, in the scheme of conquest and government in 
Cuba to-day, that the feudal castle played in Europe 
in the Middle Ages, or the block-houses in the con- 
quest and colonization of North America. They are 
the centres of organization and supply to the Span- 
iards, as well as places of refuge in case of defeat, 
although not counted among the military forces at the 
disposition of the government : they are, in fact, mili- 
tary colonies. When they occupy an exposed position 
they are, in all cases, supplied with a contingent of 
regular soldiers, often under the command of offi- 
cers. In addition, each planter supplies a private corps 
of auxiliaries, sometimes reaching to the respectable 
figure of a hundred men, exclusive of overseers and 
machinists, who are all armed, as are the most trusted 



120 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

of the slaves, though with inferior weapons. So that 
these ingenios, for the most part, are defended by a 
really respectable force, although the number of regu- 
lar soldiers may be exceedingly small. In many in- 
stances considerable engineering skill has been shown 
in the construction and planning of the defensive 
works, so much so as to render an attack by a force 
unprovided with artillery a very hazardous enterprise, 
and one that could only be brought to a successful 
conclusion by a great sacrifice of life on the part of the 
attacking party. Small towers are constructed at 
some distance from the main works, in positions that 
enable the look-outs to survey a wide stretch of 
country, so that no force can approach unseen. These 
towers are constructed in a very solid manner, the 
upper portion, of a hard wood, difficult to set on fire, 
while the base, or support, on which they are placed, 
is built of stone-work. The garrison can see perfectly 
from very small loop-holes, while they are completely 
sheltered by their bullet-proof tower from the missiles 
of their assailants. The most dexterous rifleman 
might shoot at the loop-holes for a day without injur- 
ing any one inside, while an attacking party, having 
to cross ground carefully cleared in every direction, 
would be exposed to a murderous fire. 

These detached towers form the salient angles of 
the work, and are usually occupied by the regular 
soldiers, as being the points most exposed to attack, 
and requiring most coolness and decision in defense. 
At night, the spaces between the towers are brilliantly 
illuminated by means of fariolas, or large kerosene- 
lamps, furnished with reflectors, which throw, from 
nightfall to dawn, a flood of light on all the ap- 



IN SEARCH OF THE MAMBI-LAiYD. 



121 



proaches, through which a mouse could not creep 
unperceived. The main body of the work is generally 
formed by the mill-shed, where all the machinery is 
placed. Thi5 is naturally a point of great strength. 
The foundations are constructed of solid brick-work, 
around which heavy logs and huge pieces of ma- 
chinery are piled up to form a breastwork, while the 
entrance is defended by a rude tambour of the same 
solid construction. Where the house of the planter is 
of solid construction, it is loop-holed and barricaded in 
the same fashion, so as to furnish an effective flank de- 
fense. The towers and retrenched mill-shed, as well 
as the houses, naturally protect each other, so that an 
enemy, even after penetrating into the body of the 
work, would be exposed to a murderous fire from the 
isolated defenses ; and, as the defenders are armed 
with the best modern weapons and plenty of ammuni- 
tion, the work of capturing one of these ingenios is by 
no means so simple as might be thought. In fact, 
many of these fortified structures might stand a siege, 
and, in the hands of brave men, could only be reduced 
by artillery, or captured by a superior force, after im- 
mense loss of life. Now, these works are a great 
obstacle in the way of the Cuban insurgents, who, 
from want of artillery, are unable to capture them, 
especially as, owing to the poverty of their hospital 
arrangements, and the impediment caused by a large 
number of wounded, they dare not risk taking them 
by assault. There is, however, one dangerous feature 
to the Spanish government in these fortified mills and 
their armed garrisons. The immense majority of the 
men are Cubans and people of color, who, at bottom, 
have more sympathy with the insurgents than with the 



122 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



Spaniards, but who were so thoroughly frightened by 
the defeats and sufferings during the first disasters of 
the insurrection, that they are afraid to take part with 
the men in the field, although in many instances an 
active correspondence is maintained between these 
posts and the insurgents. The turn in the tide of 
Cuban opinion has already set in, and in Camarguey, 
Holguin, and Bayamo has brought an extraordinary 
accession of strength to the insurrection. Should this 
movement continue, the Cuban leaders will soon find 
themselves at the head of a numerous and well armed 
force, which would enable them to continue the struggle 
for twenty years, if need should be, against the greatest 
forces that Spain c'ould possibly maintain. And as the 
Cuban volunteers have to suffer all the dangers and 
inconveniences of the campaign, and are not very well 
treated by the government, they are becoming pro- 
foundly discontented. They see that Spain cannot put 
down the insurrection, and the laborantes are constantly 
instilling into their minds that it would be better for 
them to throw themselves into the insurgent ranks, 
and so, by destroying the existing balance of power, 
lead to the speedy triumph of the Cuban cause. That 
this preaching has not been without its effects is proved 
by the number of volunteers who have deserted to the 
insurgents lately. Between three and four hundred 
armed men, with their families, passed over to the 
Cubans while I was with Cespedes, and during my im- 
prisonment at Manzanillo other camps revolted and 
went over to the insurgents. The same thing has 
occurred in Camarguey, where the insurrection has 
spread alarmingly since the heroic death of Agramonte, 
which appears to have reawakened the patriotic ardor 



IN SEARCH OF THE MA MB I- LAND. T -?^ 

of the Camargueans, and given new life to the struggle 
the Spaniards hoped it would bring to an end. It 
may be that the mean and cowardly vengeance of the 
Spanish authorities in burning Agramonte's body, so 
that no trace of him should remain, kindled in the 
Cuban youth the holy flame of patriotism. Tyrants 
are always stupid, and in this case they imagined that 
the noble lesson of , the Cuban hero's life would be 
destroyed ; and when the frail tenement of his grand 
soul was reduced to ashes and scattered to the winds 
of heaven, little did they dream that the gases given 
out by his cinders would infest the air with the very 
spirit that in life he breathed into those who formed 
round him in the thundering charges when he swept 
like a whirlwind down on his country's foes, and that 
every atom scattered to the wind would spring into 
new life an armed and implacable avenger. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CAPTURED BY THE SPANIARDS. 

In Search of Guillermon — The Black Blue-Beard — My Arrest in 
Ramon Las Yeguas — A; Spanish Dogberry — My Portrait taken — 
Sent to the Tower — Rumors from Cuba Libre — Set at Liberty — 
Proffered Hospitality rejected — Night Visit to a Can tale — On the 
Right Track at last. 

During my stay at Ti-Arriba I received information 
that the woody mountains in the vicinity of Filipi as 
were held by a band of insurgent negroes. Their 
leader, Guillermon, an escaped slave, a man of gigan- 
tic stature and terrible aspect, was represented to be 
as ferocious in disposition as terrible in aspect. No 
quarter was said to be given by this band, and all 
white men who fell into their hands were, according 
to popular belief, disposed of in the most summary 
manner. In addition to his other amiable qualities, 
Guillermon was fond of the ladies, and kept a stock 
of wives on hand. There was a story current that one 
of the ladies of the harem, a Avhite woman, had at- 
tempted to poison her lord from jealousy, but Guiller- 
mon discovered the treachery, and cut her head off. 
A similar fate was supposed to have befallen other 
ladies who had excited his jealousy or suspicion. My 
experience of these stories had made me skeptical, so I 
resolved to visit the district and see if there was any 
truth in the description of this redoubtable chief. The 
distance from Ti-Arriba to Ramon Las Yeguas is about 
124 



CAPTURED BY THE SPANIARDS. 



125 



five short leagues. The road runs through a wild and 
almost completely abandoned country, very mountain- 
ous, and thickly wooded. At intervals the ruins of 
coffee plantations and sugar-mills furnish sad proof of 
the destructive nature of the war. A small fort on 
the summit of the mountain which separates the. vil- 
lages commands a pass of Alpine grandeur. It was 
passed without difficulty, and I entered the embryo 
town of Yeguas without more trouble than answering 
the sentinel's challenge. The Capitan de Partido, who 
is the highest civil functionary, received me kindly, 
and in answer to a request to dispatch a telegram, in- 
formed me that the operator was at breakfast in the 
village. On descending I found the telegraphist, who 
undertook to send on my telegram, but as breakfast 
was about to be served, it was necessary to wait some 
time. As soon as the repast was over," the operator 
went to his post, promising to send me down the 
reply when it came to hand. Several officers of the 
garrison had come in, attracted by the unusual appear- 
ance of a stranger, alone, and armed, in so out-of- 
the-way a place as Ramon Las Yeguas. They were, 
however, very polite, and insisted on my joining them 
in a bottle of ale. My new acquaintances were very 
much interested in me, and asked a good many ques- 
tions. They evidently looked on me with suspicion, 
and were trying to worm out of me information about 
myself and my business. In this they had but little 
success. Before long one of the mounted police came 
to request my presence in the house of the Capitan de 
Partido. 

Not feeling inclined to walk up-hill in the sun, I 
sent that official my cedula, thinking it would satisfy 



126 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

him. In a few moments, however, he appeared in per- 
son to request that I would accompany him to the 
capitaneria. At the same time he asked the captain 
of the guard, who was drinking with us, to go to his 
post, which I soon discovered was close to the dwell- 
ing of the Capitan de Partido. In fact, I was a pris- 
oner. With many polite expressions, the functionary 
informed me that a telegram would have to be sent to 
General Morales de los Rios, to inquire into my char- 
acter, and whether I had a right to travel and carry 
arms. 

The captain was a small, energetic person, slightly 
pock-marked. He had keen features, and small, dark 
eyes, and was a very Dogberry in disposition. He in- 
formed me that a slight irregularity existed in my pass- 
port, and that until an answer was received from Gen- 
eral Morales, I would not be at liberty to proceed. He, 
however, ordered up some refreshments, and proposed 
to drink my health. This compliment I declined, but 
proposed to substitute the toast of " liberty." My two 
jailers were too polite to decline, but they drank the 
toast with an expression of face decidedly comical. 
While the captain of the guard, who was a feeble 
young man, with a grievance, engaged me in conver- 
sation, Dogberry undertook to draw a portrait of me, 
after the manner of the police reports. Without ap- 
pearing to do so, I kept my eye on him, and at last 
caught him in flagrante delicto. He was rather discon- 
certed when I told him that he ought to hang out a 
shingle with the notice " Portraits Taken Here." As 
soon as the picture was finished, the captain of the 
guard asked me in a most polished manner if a visit 
to the tower would not give me pleasure. Not to be 



CAPTURED BY THE SPANIARDS. I2 7 

outdone in politeness, I said it would, and that tower- 
visiting was very much to my mind. Dogberry sug- 
gested that it would be convenient to leave my machete 
and revolver in his care. This I firmly declined to do, 
not liking the idea of being disarmed; and he, like a 
true Dogberry, did not insist. In order to give my 
imprisonment as much as possible the air of a visit, 
the captain of the guard conducted me to the sentinel 
post, where we enjoyed for some time a really beauti- 
ful prospect. Afterwards we descended to the officers' 
quarters, a little rookery formed on the first floor of 
the tower by a rude partition. Here I remained until 
Dogberry arrived, and requested me to go down to his 
house. As he was decidedly vulgar, and not a little 
pretentious, though he tried to be polite according to 
his lights, I asked to be left with the officers, alleging 
the coolness of the tower. It was, however, useless. 
Dogberry had had a qualm of conscience, and he said 
it pained him to see a gentleman like me in the tower, 
so I was forced to go along with him. The secret of 
this change of tone was the Cura of Ti-Arriba had 
arrived at Ramon Las Yeguas, and told him who I 
was. He left me soon after under the supervision of 
some officers, and rode to a fort called Santa Maria, 
where the regiment of Alcantara was posted, to inform 
the colonel, the Marquis of Villa Etre, of my pres- 
ence. This gentleman sent some of his officers to in- 
vite me to pass the night with the regiment ; but as 
Dogberry, in order to clear himself, had told me that 
it was the officers who were drinking with me in the 
morning who caused my arrest, I declined the invita- 
tion, but accepted a guide to the Cafctale of Santa 
Isabel, the property of an Irish gentleman, some two 



j 2 8 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

leagues distant, where I was certain of a friendly re- 
ception. 

It was already dark when the telegraphic dispatch 
ordering my release came from Brigadier Morales de los 
Rios, and therefore impossible for me to continue my 
journey towards Filipinas. In the mean time the arrival 
of a military convoy and many officers from the fort 
served as a distraction ; and, had it not been for my 
indignation at the unworthy conduct of the officers 
who in the early part of the day had caused my arrest 
while I was to a certain extent their guest, I might 
have passed an agreeable night in the fort to which 
the Marquis had kindly invited me. However, a little 
scrap of news picked up in the general conversation 
decided me on changing my basis of operations. One 
of the new arrivals, with that want of caution which 
is a marked feature among Spanish military men, told 
his comrades, in my hearing, that Cespedes was known 
to be at Cambute with Jesus Perez and many other 
prominent Cuban chiefs, and that a forward movement 
would be made by the troops in a few days. This was 
the first scrap of useful news I had picked up during 
my sojourn on the island. All other information had 
been of the vaguest kind ; but now, at last, there was 
a definite point, which, could it be reached, the chief 
difficulty of my mission would have been overcome. 
How to find out the exact position of Cambute was 
not, however, so simple an affair as at first it seemed. 
Now was the time when the help of the laborante 
would have been invaluable if it could have been ob- 
tained. A plan of the roads, with directions what 
paths to take, what points to avoid, how to recognize 
the right from the wrong road, would have been be- 



CAPTURED BY THE SPANIARDS. 



I29 



yond price. I at once resolved to return to Santiago 
de Cuba without a moment's delay, as it was evidently 
the quickest way to obtain the needed information; 
but, in order not to excite any suspicion, it was neces- 
sary to proceed cautiously. Excusing myself to the 
officer who brought me the invitation from the Marquis 
of Villa Etra on the ground of a previous engagement, 
I requested that a guide should be furnished to accom- 
pany me to the Cafetale of Santa Isabel, some miles 
away. Our road lay over mountain-roads bordered 
on either side by dense woods, or abandoned planta- 
tions, where groups of fugitives still sought a preca- 
rious subsistence by raiding into the corn-fields and 
among the coffee-shrubs in the silence and darkness 
of the night, in search of scanty supplies of those 
provisions which their insecure and fugitive life in the 
woods prevented them from cultivating. My guide, 
who was a reformed rebel, black as the ace of spades, 
told me, confidentially, that two companies of volun- 
teers were in ambush in the hope of surprising a party 
that had been making somewhat too free of late among 
the canes. Under other circumstances it would have 
been very pleasant to chat with this sable militaire ; 
but both were anxious to get over the road as soon 
as possible ; and the rate we rode over that broken 
and jagged road, except where it was so bad as to 
compel us to break into a walk on pain of broken 
necks, would have astonished an owl-sighted on-looker. 
The ride over the same road in the morning had been 
delightful, when the eye swept over the majestic forms 
of the dark mountains, whose sides at long intervals 
were adorned with green patches of verdure that in 
the distance looked like the nests of some monstrous 



136 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



race of birds rather than habitations of man ; but now 
all that was hidden in the dense night-gloom that 
wrapped hill and valley, and the only signs of life 
were the vigilant fariolas keeping their sleepless watch 
away up in the black mass which we knew to be a 
mountain. Not having overmuch confidence in my 
guide, I kept my eye pretty steadily on him ; and, in 
order to be ready for any treachery on his part, having 
loosened my machete in its scabbard, I drew my re- 
volver quietly, resolved not to be taken off my guard, 
whatever might turn up. For an instant on the way 
these preparations of mine seemed about to be justi- 
fied : the guide, swinging suddenly to the right, drew 
his machete, and proceeded to lop off the branch of a 
tree. This manoeuvre rather surprised me ; and having 
heard much of the wonderful dexterity of tlfese people 
in cutting heads off at a single, sudden stroke with 
Arab-like dexterity, I reined in my horse so as to keep 
out of reach. The poor fellow's intentions were, how- 
ever, of the most peaceful kind, as it was simply a 
question of cutting an improvised riding-whip to urge 
his Rosinante to better speed, for my more powerful 
animal was pressing him hard. 

At last the Cafetale was reached ; and our approach 
being announced by a loud barking of dogs, the 
garrison of six men got under arms in the little tower 
which acted as citadel, while the fluttering lights told 
the tale of a household startled by the somewhat un- 
timely visit. A long time had passed since any visitor 
had ventured to make a call after dark, and so, for a 
moment, we were taken for enemies, and the stern 
voice of the sentinel proclaimed war as he brought 
down his rifle with that short, sharp slap, accompanied 



CAPTURED BY THE SPANIARDS. l n l 

rather than followed by the click of a mainspring, 
which, to the initiated, means shooting on sight. My 
sable companion evidently knew this, and felt there 
was no time to be lost in answering the challenge, 
which, to his credit, he did lustily, and with such 
promptness and clearness that even a deaf sentinel 
must have been immediately satisfied. 

Notwithstanding the scare created by my unlooked- 
for arrival, I was soon installed in the best quarters, 
and pressed to make a prolonged stay ; but the neces- 
sity for reaching Santiago de Cuba in time forced me 
to refuse this hospitable offer. It was not, however, 
without much difficulty that I succeeded in pursuing 
my way next day, as all kinds of reasonings and per- 
. suasions were exhausted in kind efforts to retain me. 

After a day wasted in Santiago de Cuba, endeavor- 
ing to obtain trustworthy information as to the best 
way of reaching Cambute, I was obliged to set out 
and to grope my way as best I could. 



CHAPTER IX. 

ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 

Return to Santiago de Cuba — Expedition to Cambute — Interview with 
English Mine-director — The Road to Cambute — The Two Roads 
— A Plunge into the Woods — Flanking a Spanish Garrison — French 
Hospitality — On the Wrong Road — Arrest in Palma Sorianna — 
Scare among the Officers — " It is Disgraceful" — O'Ryan's Instruc- 
tions — " To be shot as a Spy" — The False Alarm — The Mambi are 
coming — To Arms. 

Cambute was simply a camp in the mountains be- 
yond Cobre, somewhere. None but the soldiers knew 
exactly where, and it would not do to ask them. How 
I swore ! deeply, but not loudly, at Cuban laborantism ; 
but as this would not mend matters, it was necessary 
to trust to luck, or lose the only chance for a rush that 
had as yet offered ; especially as there was no knowing 
to what corner of the mysterious land Cespedes might 
retreat before the threatened advance of the Spaniards. 
Finding news as to the whereabouts of Cambute un- 
attainable in Santiago, I resolved to proceed to Cobre, 
and endeavor to elicit some information on this delicate 
point from the director of the English mines, who had 
lived for some years in the district, and therefore, one 
would suppose, knew something about the locality. 
But this gentleman had only the vaguest notions of 
the existence of such a place as Cambute ; his recep- 
tion, however, was kind, if not very cordial, and had 
my aim been to obtain information as to the state of 
the mines, there can be little doubt it would have been 
132 



ON THE TRAIL OF CES PEDES. T33 

furnished with blunt good sense. While still engaged 
in the fruitless task of cross-questioning my English- 
man, a Spanish military doctor appeared on the 
ground. Whether his coming was accidental, or he 
had been sent to look after me, is of course unknown 
to me, but he had scarcely seated himself when he 
began to talk on the very subject upon which I desired 
information. After a good deal of reflection on the 
subject, I had settled in my own mind that Cambute 
lay southwest of the road to Palma Sorianna, and, if 
this military doctor had not appeared on the ground, 
would have taken the roads running in that direction ; 
but the doctor assured me he had been several times 
at Cambute with operating columns, and the Cuban 
position was southeast. As it would have been dan- 
gerous to follow the question too far, the conversation 
was turned into other channels. Soon after the Span- 
iard rose and took his leave, having, by his stupidity 
or his cunning, rendered good service to the state. An 
hour later saw me on my way out of Cobre. Scarcely 
had the town been lost to view, when suddenly a com- 
pany of soldiers, under the command of an officer, 
appeared at a turning in the road, and owing to my 
somewhat warlike appearance seemed inclined to halt 
me. Indeed, the word was given, although I rode 
straight up to them, but at the last moment the officer 
changed his mind, and with a wave of his hand, and 
that exclamation, so full of meaning in the mouth of 
a Spaniard, "A T ada," allowed me to proceed in peace. 
For a few miles the broad road swept through a bleak, 
bare, mountainous country, steeped in lethal silence, 
and were it not for the distant watch-towers perched 
on the summits of the hills, all evidence of human life 



134 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



would have been wanting. In the noontide this awful 
silence is singularly oppressive, because it consorts so 
badly with the sentiment of joy and fullness of life that 
we feel within us when the Day-God beams down on 
us his warm, life-giving smiles. The repellant aspect 
of the unwooded hills was in part compensated for by 
security from surprise. Here there was no danger 
that the crouching negro would spring from his 
hiding-place to deal with lightning suddenness the 
terrible machete-stroke to the unwary traveler, so 
that it was possible to enjoy the wild grandeur of the 
mountains, drinking in satisfaction in a half-conscious, 
dreamy state, while ambling along the white sunlit 
road, that wound; with many a curious turn, like a 
broad golden stream, around the base of gigantic 
brown-baked mountains. The amplitude of the way, 
and the wide-embracing view, as, at intervals, exten- 
sive valleys on either hand opened to the sight, only 
served to lift into stronger relief the unnatural loneli- 
ness and wide-extending desolation, until a feeling of 
sadness stole imperceptibly over the heart as it dwelt 
on the folly and wickedness of horrible war, that made 
a desert of the fairest and most fertile spots of God's 
earth. 

That day, however, there was little time for dream- 
ing or philosophizing. After an hour's ride, the road 
bifurcated, and it was necessary to decide whether it 
was better to be guided by my own deductions, or by 
the dogmatic assertion of the Spaniard. There was no 
apparent reason for the latter misinforming me, as he 
could not have the remotest idea that I was on my way 
to the Cuban lines. Undecided what course to pursue, 
I had made up my mind to be guided by the nature 



ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 



135 



of the country in the selection of my route. It was 
now, however, necessary to make a choice : away be- 
fore me stretched the broad Camino Real, and in the 
distance loomed up a huge stone-built church, perched 
on the summit of a hill commanding the road that 
wound by it. My instinct told me that it was garri- 
soned ; if I followed that road would I not be again 
arrested? Then it was most unlikely that the king's 
highway should lead to the insurgent camp. On the 
other hand the road plunged into the mountains, and 
looked as lonely and desolate as if ages had swept by 
since the highway had been used by man. My pocket- 
compass showed that its general direction, so far as it 
could be made out, agreed with what the Spanish 
doctor had told me. This at once decided me, and, turn- 
ing my horse's head eastward, I plunged into a country 
so picturesque, that under ordinary conditions the ride 
would have been the source of a thousand pleasurable 
sensations to any one who loves the beauties of 
nature. 

After passing over low hills for some time, the road 
followed the course of an extensive valley, and on 
either hand were seen in the abandoned cane-fields, and 
roofless, silent ingenios, the sad traces of war. During 
hours I rode without finding any traces of life, and it 
was almost with enthusiasm I beheld, shining in the 
middle of the road, a brass Remington cartridge. It 
appeared to me evidence that I was on the right road, 
for whether the cartridge belonged to the Spanish or to 
the Mambi, it appeared to me certain that I must be 
approaching the frontiers of Cuba Libre. What in the 
beginning had been a broad and well-defined road, 
soon merged into a mere bridle-path, wandering 



I3 6 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



capriciously by wood and meadow through the long 
Guinea grass, and sometimes following the bed of shal- 
low, leaf-embowered streams until it seemed lost defi- 
nitely, then reappearing in a scarcely perceptible break 
in the bushes beyond. At length the country opened 
out, and in the distance I was startled to see evidences 
of extensive cultivation, but even by the aid of my 
glasses it was impossible to discover whether the cane- 
fields now suddenly visible were abandoned like those 
already met with. The extent and apparent richness 
of the crop seemed to argue against this assumption, 
and it became necessary to proceed with caution. 

Only once during the day had I been tempted to 
diverge from the road by the appearance of a slight 
trail leading through a deserted plantation, but my 
pocket-compass saved me from a mistake that might 
have led to serious consequences. This path, strangely 
enough, was the one I afterwards followed on my way 
to the Cuban lines, but in the direction opposite to that 
I was first tempted to enter it. Had some little local 
information been furnished me by the laborantcs, I 
could from this point have ridden to the Cuban out- 
posts in a few hours, but want of information about 
the topography of the country left me to wander on, 
groping my way as best I could, in the hope of falling 
in with some Cuban scouts or outposts. This time it 
was not to be, and so following the direct path I came 
to an elevation which enabled me to command a view 
of the distant ingenio, and satisfy myself it was inhab- 
ited, and, of course, garrisoned. To venture near the 
plantation would insure my arrest and detention, in- 
volving the loss of the one opportunity upon which I 
had set my heart. To avoid this I resolved to try a 



ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 



137 



plunge into the woods, trusting to my pocket-compass 
to bring me out at some point beyond the ingenio, 
out of reach of the garrison. For some time my pro- 
gress was satisfactory, if somewhat slow, and there 
seemed good reason to hope for a successful issue to 
my first wood adventure. In this, as in so many other 
hopes, disappointment was lying in wait to dispel all 
the brilliant promises. As the ground became broken, 
and the underwood more formidably tangled, my horse 
became restive, and at last refused point-blank to pro- 
ceed. In vain spurs were brought into requisition ; 
the animal only became more doggedly obstinate, and 
after several narrow escapes from the fate of King 
David's rebel son, I was regretfully compelled to aban- 
don the attempt to pierce through the tangled forest. 
It was all the more annoying, having worked hard with 
my machete to open the road, to be forced to abandon 
the attempt when more than half accomplished. My 
object was to get by the ingenio unnoticed, lest the 
mounted patrols should follow and arrest me. It was 
no longer possible to avoid being seen, but I made up 
my mind that if the Spaniards were to capture me 
again that at least they would have a run for it. 

Abandoning the wood, as the passage was no longer 
practicable, it was necessary to cross a country afford- 
ing scarcely any shelter, and it soon became evident 
that it was impossible to pass round the ingenio with- 
out approaching within rifle-shot of the buildings, be- 
cause they stood close to the point where the valley 
bifurcated, and the mountains at this point were too 
steep to be crossed by a stranger to Cuban travel. In- 
deed, at the moment it did not seem to me possible to 
ride over so steep a mountain, but later experience has 



133 



THE MAMBT-LAND. 



shown me that this was an error. The appearance of 
a strange horseman making a circuit to avoid the in- 
genio naturally attracted notice, and created quite an 
excitement about the building. Without paying any 
heed to what was passing in the ingenio, I rode so as 
to keep well out of range until the few moments 
necessary to pass into a narrow gorge, which offered 
me the only means of escape. It was evident from the 
movement in the ingenio that I was at first mistaken 
for a hostile scout, and in all probability the garrison 
and work-people saw me depart with as much real 
pleasure as I enjoyed in having for the moment es- 
caped detention. 

The trail now ran through a narrow valley, with 
steep, densely-timbered hills rising on either side, dark 
and threatening in aspect. The savage loneliness of 
the place irresistibly suggested throat-cutting, and in- 
stinctively my gun was thrown across the saddle-bow, 
so as to be ready for instant use in case of any sudden 
aggression. It is certainly not a very comfortable 
feeling to be peering into tangled forest-undergrowth 
in momentary expectation of hearing a bullet whistling 
in close proximity at one's ear, or, more terrible still, 
to be startled by the apparition of some squad of half- 
savage fugitives, or Maja (Cubans not regularly en- 
rolled in the army, but living in the woods), thirsting 
for vengeance and excited by hope of plunder. 

Well-to-do, easy-going people, who have always 
lived under the shadow of a policeman's club, will no 
doubt find this picture of the impressions of Cuban 
travel very shocking, and be inclined to think the poor 
Maja a very wretched creature indeed, but if the pub- 
lic would not condemn him too rashly, there will be 



ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 



I 39 



found much to be said in justification of this much- 
suffering being. No doubt it is very wrong, and very- 
brutal, even, for outlaws and patriots carrying on a war 
where no quarter is given on either side, to shoot down 
an inoffensive foreigner, but it must be remembered 
that had I been met and fired on by a party of Cubans, 
it would have been simply an error. They would 
have shot me as a Spaniard, not an inoffensive for- 
eigner. Unfortunately, in the class of war carried on 
in Cuba, it is not usual among any people to bother 
much about challenging; in fact, the rule is to shoot 
first and challenge afterwards. If any mistake occurs, 
it is very unfortunate for the victim, but then the strict 
letter of the law is fulfilled. 

After a few miles the valley opened out gradually, 
and ever-changing scenery distracted the mind from 
the rather gloomy reflections and apprehensions which 
would force themselves into prominence while passing 
through the mysterious half-gloom of the sad woods, 
where one felt cut off from the rest of the world, and 
driven into communication with one's own thoughts, 
which were pretty sure to be none of the liveliest. 
At the end of a couple of hours' ride the trail suddenly 
entered a patch of cane-field, but for some time it was 
impossible to know whether or not it was part of 
some abandoned plantation like those already encoun- 
tered. In the distance there was the remains of what 
had once been a large ingenio, but it had evidently 
been destroyed by fire, as the charred rafters looked 
black and skeleton-like against the sky. It was with 
something like satisfaction that I made these observa- 
tions, when suddenly I stumbled on a group of blacks 
working among the canes which had concealed them 



!40 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

from my view. They were evidently startled and even 
considerably frightened by my appearance, and some 
of the men who were a little distant at once retired on 
the main group as if for protection ; but seeing that I 
was alone, and evidently not hostile in my intentions, 
they awaited my approach. It was too late for me to 
retreat, so inquiring the name of the ingenio, and' 
making some civil remarks, I turned my horse's head 
towards the buildings, where a group of soldiers were 
already watching my approach. The marks of fire 
were everywhere visible, but energetic efforts were 
being made to restore at least in part the works. The 
detachment of soldiers being small, there was the 
usual slackness of discipline in the post, and so I 
escaped any very close interrogatory ; besides, when I 
perceived that the planter was a Frenchman my Gallic 
tongue was at once put into requisition, for experience 
had taught me that this was the quickest and most 
effective way to obtain the help of Frenchmen ; nor in 
this instance did the manoeuvre fail : before half a dozen 
words were exchanged the planter insisted on my dis- 
mounting and taking some refreshment while chatting 
about " La Belle France!' The offer was of a kind not 
to be refused, especially as it might be possible to ob- 
tain such information about the roads as would enable 
me to reach Cambute. The subject, however, was a 
delicate one, in view of the natural irritation of the 
planter-class against the insurgents, who burn down 
the plantations in order to deprive the Spanish govern- 
ment of all revenue from Cuban sources. But a few 
stories of the Franco-German war, and the assurance 
that on more than one occasion I had helped to carry 
the tri-color to victory, so opened the patriotic French- 



ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 



141 



man's heart that he quite forgot that the Cubans had 
burned down his plantation three times, thereby re- 
ducing him from a position of wealth and independence 
to comparative poverty. There was a shade of comic 
sorrow on his face as he pointed out the danger which 
unconsciously I had passed through while making my 
way to his plantation, as he assured me that the 
deeply-wooded hills which inclosed the narrow valley 
were infested by a gang of desperate robbers, who, 
had they seen me, would undoubtedly have brought 
my search expedition to a prompt and eminently un- 
satisfactory termination. As I had distinctly heard 
human voices in rather uproarious merriment, and had 
actually stopped in the hope of seeing some one, this 
news quite consoled me for the disappointment. Only 
a few days before, my informant asserted, this band 
had seized nine mules and their loads, which they 
carried off in triumph to their fastness in the hills. 
Some time after, when relating this adventure to some 
of the Cuban outposts, they laughed heartily, and 
assured me that they were the parties guilty of appro- 
priating the mules, which they declared were in excel- 
lent condition and remarkably tender. In fact, the 
camp had had several days' feasting at the Frenchman's 
expense. Under these circumstances the newspaper 
correspondent endeavoring to go into the insurgent 
camp would have been received with little more than 
the merest civility, but, sacre bleu, a stranger who had 
been fighting for France ! quite altered the case. So 
after chatting for a long time of battles, reverses, and 
the inevitable revanche, we gradually settled down to 
the Cuban question, and my mission in particular. 
Half confidences would have been worse than useless, 



142 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



so the question how to get to Cambute the quickest 
way possible was put to the planter. To my infinite 
annoyance he informed me that on two different occa- 
sions my selections of paths had been faulty, and that 
the Cambute trail would have met my view had I per- 
severed in piercing through the wood, and in two 
hours I would have been close to the Cuban outposts. 
But it was now getting late ; besides, to return along 
the track would insure my arrest by the soldiers in 
the ingenio which was situated at the junction of the 
roads. There was also another difficulty which more 
than anything else deterred me from returning: the 
road to Cambute was said to go over the steepest part 
of the mountains,, where it was impossible to go on 
horseback. It would therefore be necessary to aban- 
don my horse, and as I was most unwilling to do this, 
it appeared better to continue to Palma Sorianna, from 
whence a level road led into the Cuban camp. This 
was quite true; and on the way to join General Garcia's 
headquarters I traveled along this route, which passes 
within about two miles of Palma Sorianna, communica- 
ting with that post by a cross-trail. 

My hospitable entertainer sent a young negro with 
me as guide through a few miles of very difficult coun- 
try. Towards evening Palma Sorianna was reached, 
and my advent created a sensation that well-nigh de- 
generated into a panic before the night passed. My 
first care was to seek the military commander, and re- 
port my presence. He had heard of my arrival, and 
was about to take measures for my immediate arrest ; 
an intention my frank presentation caused him to 
abandon, or rather to modify, for it was soon evident 
that a close and jealous espionage had been established 



ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 



14; 



over me. As no one alluded to this, it was my policy 
to appear ignorant of it. At the same time it was im- 
possible to avoid wondering how it would all end. It 
was very annoying, because it took away my chance 
of reaching Cambute before Cespedes would have left. 
If I did not " swear a prayer or two" for the laborantes, 
and the Spanish medico who had set me astray, in 
actual words, there is reason to fear that mentally 
both parties were fervently consigned to a pnrgatorio 
where they might have time to reflect. 

The commander of Palma Sorianna turned out to 
be a Major O'Ryan, one of the Hispano-Irish officers. 
My name and country recommended me at once to his 
attention, and it is only justice to say that, while keep- 
ing me under close observation as a possible enemy, 
he treated me with much consideration and kindness. 
He was evidently quite proud of introducing his pai- 
sano, as he insisted on calling me, to all the officers of 
the command, and conversed at length with me about 
the country of his forefathers, and the intimate rela- 
tions maintained among their descendants in Spain. 
From the number of officers that visited the unpre- 
tentious tienda where I had been compelled, from 
the absence of any better place, to take up my resi- 
dence, it was evident my arrival had created quite a 
lively sensation, and that for the moment at least all 
eyes were fixed on the strange guest. In the exist- 
ing state of the country, this curiosity about a stranger 
appeared to me natural enough; therefore, though it 
was unquestionably inconvenient, there was no par- 
ticular reason to feel angry or annoyed about it. The 
matter of most immediate interest to me was the direc- 
tion of the road to Cambute, but it was evident that 



144 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



it would be unwise to make any inquiries in the town, 
which might increase suspicion. Several times I made 
efforts to move in the direction of the outposts of this 
fortified village, but was on every occasion caught up in 
the most vexatiously polite manner by some one con- 
nected with the "aatoridad" so that there was nothing 
left but to give up gracefully and await the chapter of 
accidents. Fortune before many hours forgot to frown, 
as by a singular accident all the information that could 
be desired was given to me by Major O'Ryan in person, 
while taking an evening stroll with a number of the 
officers of the garrison. Away in the distance, behind 
the hills, he pointed out to me the position of Cambute, 
giving me details as to who lived there, and how they 
lived, which my own experience afterwards showed me, 
in the main, to be correct. O'Ryan was a keen and 
intelligent soldier, as polished and as sharp as his own 
sword-blade, a nice fellow to talk to, but an extremely 
ugly customer to fight with. He had organized a 
system of espionage so cleverly, by aid of recreant 
Cubans and fugitive slaves, that he was almost as well 
informed of what passed in the neighboring Cuban 
camp as were the Cuban chiefs themselves. When 
he learned that my object was to reach Cambute, he 
said that if General Morales de los Rios gave me per- 
mission to go, he would place me in communication 
with Jesus Perez within forty-eight hours. The same 
offer was made to me on a former occasion by the com- 
mander of a mounted contra-guerrilla, whose acquaint- 
ance I made while with poor Sostrada and the St. 
Quentin battalion ; both have since perished in battle 
at the hands of those invisible and impalpable enemies 
they despised so much. At the time, it struck me as 



ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 



M5 



rather strange that the Spaniards who pretended they 
never knew where to find the Cubans to fight, could 
find them without any difficulty to parley with. This, 
however, was not in fact such a contradiction as it 
seemed, but it was a Cosa de Cuba, which it requires 
intimate knowledge of the country and the people to 
fully understand. 

Although well disposed towards me, Major O'Ryan, 
as a soldier, was responsible for the complete isolation 
of the enemy in his district ; he was therefore some- 
what puzzled how to deal with my case. Not caring 
either to take the responsibility of stopping me, still 
less of allowing me to communicate with the enemy, 
the mode of solving the difficulty that seemed most 
agreeable to himself personally was to refer the matter 
to the higher authorities, and so throw the onus of 
whatever was decided on other shoulders than his 
own. 

Up to the hour of bidding him good-night no reply 
had come to his telegram. He therefore used a good 
many little artifices to persuade me not to leave in the 
morning ; but, as time was now invaluable, it was im- 
possible to accede to his rather anxious invitation to 
remain till the following day. My cedula was not, 
however, returned to me, and it would therefore have 
been impossible for me to have left, even if nothing 
had transpired before morning Sleep had for some 
time closed my weary eyes when a loud knocking at 
my bedroom door caused me to start bolt upright, 
without being quite awake, and only half-conscious 
that there was an awful row being made in the house. 
However, a repetition of the thundering on the door- 
panels that might well have shook the very fragile 



146 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



shanty in which I was housed, brought me quickly to 
my senses; and asking, in no very gentle voice, who 
was thumping at my door and what he wanted, was 
answered that the noise-maker was the bearer of a 
message from Major O'Ryan. Unlocking the door, 
an officer informed me that by order of the govern- 
ment my departure from Palma Sorianna, until further 
orders, was forbidden. Politely expressing regret for 
disturbing my slumbers, the officer withdrew to place 
an additional sentinel on the house, in order to defeat 
any endeavor to escape. He might have saved him- 
self the trouble ; for, taking the matter very coolly, 
I went to bed and slept soundly, after unburdening 
my mind of a few, hearty wishes for the salvation of 
all the antoridads, civil and military, in the " Ever- 
Faithful Isle." In the morning, on attempting to leave 
the house, a sentinel informed me that, without per- 
mission from the major, I could not do so. As this 
occurred in the presence of a crowd of soldiers and 
townspeople, it rather nettled me, and at once I dis- 
patched the servant with a telegram to the English 
consul, informing him that the authorities held me a 
close prisoner. This being shown to O'Ryan, with- 
out whose approval it could not be forwarded, he at 
once sent word that it was a mistake on the part of 
the guard, informing me that the prohibition only 
meant that I should not leave the town, explaining at 
the same time that it applied equally to all others, and 
was simply a military precaution in view of some im- 
portant movements of the troops. Being simple enough 
to believe in the " important movement," I at once 
telegraphed for leave to accompany one of the columns, 
to which request even the scant courtesy of a reply 



ON THE TRAIL OF CES PEDES. 



1 47 



was refused. In the evening, however, arrived the 
famous " advertencia," in which the Spanish authori- 
ties threw aside the hypocritical mask they had long 
been wearing, and showed clearly that they were 
resolved to make war on light at all hazards. This 
" advertencia" put an end to the possibility of my 
reaching Cambute from Palma. O'Ryan explained 
frankly and clearly that, in view of the ban of out- 
lawry which the " advertencia" proclaimed, he would 
be obliged to give stringent orders to the outposts 
and scouts to shoot me in case I was found in the 
direction of the Cuban lines ; besides that, he did not 
consider himself at liberty to allow me to travel in any 
direction, unless under the escort of Spanish troops. 
This, in fact, amounted to making me a prisoner 
guarded at sight. It would have been as useless as 
impolitic to show any bad temper in the affair ; and 
as for running the gauntlet, even if the outposts could 
have been passed, I would have been captured, and 
shot like a dog by the scouts, who knew every path, 
and, indeed, every tree, for miles round. Affecting 
not to see that the advice given by the major was in 
reality a command which must be obeyed, if unpleasant 
consequences were to be avoided, my feelings of an- 
noyance were packed into the smallest possible com- 
pass and hid out of sight. 

It was agreed, therefore, that I should return with a 
convoy to St. Luis, where I could get the train for Santi- 
ago de Cuba. The convoy was expected to arrive at 
midday; but, owing to some cause, it was delayed on the 
road. This excited a good deal of uneasiness; and a 
slight panic occurred among the volunteers when, at two 
o'clock, a soldier rode in from the outposts, announcing 



I48 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

that heavy firing was going on in the direction from 
which the column was coming. The bugles sounded 
the alarm, and troops and volunteers assembled under 
arms. The regular troops marched out in the quiet, 
orderly way which I before noticed with the Spanish 
soldier; but the volunteers, made up of a hybrid col- 
lection of all colors and conditions, conducted them- 
selves in a disorderly and disgraceful manner. If the 
enemy had really attacked the town, I verily believe 
that the soldiers would have been in as much danger 
from these undisciplined rascals as they would have 
been from the Mambis. A few mounted contra-guer- 
rillas and some companies of the marine infantry 
moved out to sucqor the convoy, and by the permis- 
sion of the colonel commanding I accompanied. After 
a short ride of a league and a half we met the head of 
the convoy, and learned that all the trouble had been 
occasioned by some soldiers firing at two suspicious 
persons whom they saw in the woods. This news, of 
course, put an end to our sortie, and we returned to 
town, where the Cuban volunteers celebrated the grand 
victory by an impromptu ball in my hotel. As I rode 
by these gentry on my way home, they made quite a 
hostile demonstration against me. I did not mention 
the fact to O'Ryan, or to any one else, because I did 
not want to create trouble ; but I remark it as the 
only instance of anything of the kind occurring. Next 
day I accompanied a convoy to St. Luis, and the only 
incident worthy of notice was the discovery of the 
traces of a band, estimated by the guides from the 
track to number about hundred men. On arriving 
at Cuba, my first care was to telegraph to the Herald 
notice of the threat to shoot me made by the author- 



ON THE TRAIL OF CESPEDES. 



149 



ities. The use of the word " arrested" in relation to 
my detention at Ramon caused the authorities to stop 
my telegram. 

General Morales sent for me to go to his house 
immediately. When I arrived he was at dinner with 
his aid-de-camp and the Attorney-General. The 
general requested me to be seated, and, having ordered 
some sherry, said, " You desire to telegraph that you 
were arrested in Ramon and Palma. You were not 
arrested, but detained, as a natural precaution, by the 
authorities, who, seeing a man going about alone and 
armed, desired to know something about him." 

" Still, I was arrested and prevented from continuing 
my journey. When I am stopped I am arrested. You 
find fault with the word 'arrested;' but in my country, 
when the authorities deprive a man of the right to 
move" about freely, we say he is ' arrested.' " 

" The physical explanation you give of this word is 
correct, but in Spain we only arrest where there is a 
crime. In your case there was none, and you were 
only detained in order that your identity could be 
ascertained." 

" I was held a prisoner for eight hours, and part 
of the time I spent in the tower. It is true I was 
treated with attention and civility, but still I was a 
prisoner." 

" I did not know this ; but you must see that the 
authorities only exercised necessary vigilance and 
caution in detaining you until they consulted me. As 
soon as I received the telegram I ordered your release, 
and that you should be permitted to go where you 
pleased." 

" Permit me to thank you for your kindness, and to 
13* 



jc THE MAMBI-LAKD. 

assure you that I should regret very much if one of 
these days you should be obliged to shoot me." 

General Morales turned to the gentleman in black 
(the Attorney-General) with a half-amused, half-in- 
quiring, look on his face. After a moment's pause 
he said, " I would regret it very much also; but if you 
are found in the insurgent lines, or coming from them, 
you will be treated as a spy or as one of the insur- 
gents." 

" Then all the prisoners who are taken are shot?" 

" That depends : those taken in arms are handed 
over to the tribunals ; others who have surrendered 
themselves are allowed to live in perfect freedom, if 
they have been guilty of no crime. Indeed, there are 
plenty of them even holding high positions among us 
who ought to have been executed. No ; if you pre- 
sent yourself and ask pardon you will be treated with 
the same generosity as the other insurgents, but if 
you leave the Spanish lines you will expose yourself 
to the danger of being treated as an enemy, should 
the Spanish troops fall in with you." 

" Well, it is to prevent this that I have requested 
the authorities to give me a military pass." 

" The Captain-General alone can give you such a 
pass. Why do you not endeavor to obtain one ?" 

" In the interview which I had with General Ceballos 
he expressed a desire to aid me, but, owing to the 
clamor which had been raised by certain factionists, 
he was unwilling to commit himself so as to give 
cause for further agitation on this subject. He told 
me, however, that I was at liberty to proceed at my 
own risk without interference to any part of the island 
I pleased. Not wishing to embar.ass the Captain- 



ON THE TRAIL OF CES PEDES. 



151 



General, I have preferred to run the additional risk 
rather than expose him to any trouble or censure for 
his kindness to me." 

At this point the new Archbishop, who has been 
appointed by Amadeus a la Harry the Eighth, entered 
the audience chamber, and General Morales left me 
with the gentleman in black. The Attorney-General 
assured me that there " would be a certain regret felt 
if I should be killed, — not a very deep sorrow, for, 
after all, I was of no particular account or interest to 
the inhabitants of Cuba." Still, my death seemed in 
some mysterious way to foreshadow trouble. " If in 
an engagement with the troops a bullet should kill 
you by accident, or even by design, — for I do not con- 
ceal from myself that if the Spanish soldiers should 
see you among the insurgents they would say, ' There 
is that American ; let us bring him down,' and they 
would shoot at you rather than at the Mambis, — if you 
should happen to be killed in one of these encounters, 
the insurgents would carry off your body and accuse 
the Spaniards of having assassinated you, and the 
American press would make an outcry against our 
supposed brutality." 

" No ; it is well understood that a war correspondent 
is exposed to all these dangers ; there were many cor- 
respondents killed during the Franco-Prussian War." 

" Here it is, however, different." 

" I am aware of this ; but there are positions in 
which we must only think of our duty without taking 
into account the danger. Like soldiers, we journalists 
must execute our orders at whatever cost." 

" If you were to go as correspondent to St. Do- 
mingo, for instance, with the army of Baez, and one 



152 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



of the opposing generals should capture you, do you 
think that your character as newspaper correspondent 
would protect you ?" 

" Possibly not ; but I suppose Spain does not wish 
to be regarded as occupying the same place in the 
pale of civilization as St. Domingo." 

The Attorney-General perceived he had made a 
mistake in what he had intended to be a crushing illus- 
tration of the right of the authorities to shoot me. 
He turned the conversation at once into a compli- 
mentary vein, and, as I was myself the object, I had 
to admit myself routed after the first discharge. See- 
ing there was nothing to be gained by remaining, I 
saluted the man in black, and made my bow to Gen- 
eral Morales. The general was deeply engaged with 
the Archbishop, but he rose politely and advanced to 
dismiss me with the friendly courtesy that he mani- 
fested towards me on all occasions. 

I asked him if my telegram could go, by altering 
the word " arrested" to " detained." He replied "that 
it could ;" and t drawing the paper from his pocket, 
handed it to me, assuring me at the same time that I 
might always count upon his friendship, which struck 
me as very polite from a gentleman who had just 
informed me that he would be obliged to shoot me 
under circumstances likely to occur. 



CHAPTER X. 

MENACING ATTITUDE OF THE AUTHORITIES. 

Return to Santiago de Cuba — Interview with Morales de los Rios — 
Conditional Promise — Threat to shoot me as a Spy — The Cuban 
Laborantes. 

The Spanish authorities had at last shown the 
cloven foot. It was now placed on record in the most 
striking manner that they were resolved to keep the 
world ignorant of the events passing in Cuba, and 
that, to preserve the mysterious veil they had thrown 
over the insurrectionary struggle, they were even pre- 
pared to commit a crime which would involve the kill- 
ing of the rash adventurer who should dare to present 
himself as a witness of the light. Whether or not the 
resolution of the authorities, in their jealousy and fear 
of the truth, was a wise or a just one, will be better 
judged when the facts of the case are better known to 
the reader. There was, however, one advantage in the 
decided enunciation of the real views of the men in 
power. [It is by no means an easy matter for a person 
not very well acquainted with Spanish character to 
weigh the exact value of what maybe said or promised 
by Spanish officials, because they have at least the 
merit, if it be a merit, of performing unpleasant and 
obnoxious duties with an outward politeness which, in 
the minds of people less accustomed to polished forms 
in public functionaries, would be likely to beget very 
erroneous ideas. Although I had had some previous 



154 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



experience among the Spanish race, there existed in 
my mind a doubt as to the probable action of the au- 
thorities, so well had they feigned indifference to my 
mission in Santiago de Cuba. On the occasion of my 
setting out for Ti-Arriba, it is quite true that proof was 
given me how closely and jealously the authorities 
were watching my movements, but even that super- 
vision only went to prove a certain benevolence of in- 
tention on the part of General Morales de los Rios, as 
was shown by his hurried dispatch, which just arrived 
in time to save me from arrest, and his action after- 
wards in ordering my liberation at Ramon las Yeguas. 
For a moment the authorities had persuaded me that 
they were really .indifferent, and would offer no real 
opposition to my crossing their lines, though they 
would not aid me in any way. If this were really so, 
the great obstacle would have been removed from my 
path, but all these illusions were rudely dissipated by 
the exceedingly savage advertencia, which enabled the 
world to see the exact nature of the government in 
Cuba. In fact, for the reflective mind there was much 
instruction in the few telegraphic lines that brought 
me up at Palma, much as a rider might suddenly stop 
his horse riding at full speed to the edge of a preci- 
pice. The benevolence shown to me was, in fact, all 
humbug : it was thought that horrible stories would 
prevent my venturing across the lines, just as if I were 
an overgrown baby; and so long as my wanderings 
were confined to the wild and mountainous districts, 
which, from their strategic position, could not be oc- 
cupied permanently by the Cuban forces, the fullest 
liberty was allowed me, only a certain watch being 
kept on my movements. It was impossible, however, 



MENACING ATTITUDE OF THE AUTHORITIES. 



155 



for the authorities to keep me constantly in sight, as 
most of the time I rode through lonely roads, where 
no one could follow me without being seen, and where 
very few Spaniards would care to ride alone, because, 
though the whole district is fenced round at the outlets 
by Spanish posts, small parties of insurgents were con- 
stantly passing through the mountains, and if, by ac- 
cident, they should fall in with a single Spaniard, bullet 
and machete would soon relieve him from all worldly 
cares. The moment, however, I moved in the direc- 
tion where the authorities knew the insurgents could 
be met with, they made up their minds to stop me at 
whatever cost. Perhaps the chief cause of this reso- 
lution was an unwillingness to let it be known that 
Cespedes could be met within an easy day's march of 
Santiago de Cuba at the moment when the Spanish 
government pretended they thought him dead, and 
that the chief cause why the rebellion continued was 
their inability to find the insurgent bands. It is rather 
instructive to remember that while these statements 
were being deliberately made, Cespedes was lying with 
a comparatively small force at Cambute, at some hours' 
march from the Spanish outposts, and within an easy 
day's march of the general's headquarters at Santiago 
de Cuba. The mere publication of the fact was calcu- 
lated to damage exceedingly the prestige of the gov- 
ernment, by laying bare the falseness of the pretenses 
urged in explanation of the continuation of the Cuban 
insurrection, and also to show how very little reliance 
could be placed either on the official, or officious, 
statements of the pro-Spanish party. From this point 
of view, the advertencia was a victory gained in the 
cause of truth, because it has placed the real character 



156 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



of the authorities on record in a way that leaves no 
room for any possible misapprehension, and will re- 
main as a historical testimony of the temper of the 
Spanish party, after the first fit of passionate violence 
which deluged Cuba with innocent blood had passed, 
and a cold and deliberate policy of repression had re- 
placed it. It is to the last phase of the insurrectionary 
movement, as less known than the sanguinary acts 
that have affrighted and horrified the civilized world, 
that most attention will be paid in this narrative. 

If the difficulties in the way of meeting with Ces- 
pedes were great and apparently insurmountable so 
long as the authorities preserved the appearance of an 
indifferent neutrality, now that the veto was spoken, 
with its accompanying threat, the project seemed to 
all my friends too dangerous to be undertaken. "You 
surely will not attempt to go to the insurgent camp after 
the warning?" was the constantly repeated question to 
which I was hourly subjected, accompanied by long 
exhortations about the folly and madness of attempt- 
ing to defy such a terrible power as the omnipotent 
autoridad. It was no longer safe to talk even to 
friends, and a number of harmless answers had to be 
invented which gave no information of my real inten- 
tions, and yet did not bind me to any course of action. 
There was only one chance left, and if it failed there 
was an end to my mission. It is natural to a man in 
my position not to like to fail, and so much had the 
conduct of the government annoyed me that I was 
more than ever resolved to reach the Cuban lines at 
whatever cost. It was certainly a desperate game, for 
the espionage to which I was subjected was of the 
closest kind. Every one interested in defeating me 



MENACING ATTITUDE OF THE AUTHORITIES. 



157 



had become so well acquainted with my appearance 
that all chance of disguise was done away with. 
Besides, during my comings and goings to Santiago 
I had made acquaintance with officers belonging 
to almost all the regiments, so that there was not a 
post probably where I should not have been imme- 
diately recognized. This compelled me to start from 
Santiago de Cuba, so that it would be necessary to run 
the gauntlet of all the Spanish posts. This was any- 
thing but a pleasant prospect, as it was quite possible 
that, if caught, the threatened shooting might be car- 
ried out to the letter. This source of uneasiness was 
increased by the knowledge that orders had already 
been given to the outposts to keep a sharp lookout for 
me, and many of the Spanish officers whose acquaint- 
ance I had made, with a want of delicacy probably the 
result of being engaged for a long while in a brutal war- 
fare, said they supposed that an objection to be shot 
would prevent me visiting the insurgents. As it was 
desirable to encourage this opinion, I told them that, in 
all probability, I would content myself with visiting as 
much of the insurgent camp as might be seen from San- 
tiago de Cuba, at which they smiled patronizingly, as 
to say they thought so, and that pensmen naturally 
objected to lead except in the form of type. 

My whole attention was now directed to inducing 
the laborantes to come to my aid. This was especially 
difficult on account of the jealous watch kept over me, 
for not alone the many volunteers, but even the army 
officers, did not think it, in many cases, beneath their 
dignity to establish a surveillance over my movements. 
With a view to eventualities my visits to the country 
were continued, though more irregularly than before 

14 



i 5 8 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



the advertencia. These unaccountable outgoings and 
incomings were a source of great annoyance to a 
number of officers who lived in the hotel, and on one 
occasion some rather inquisitive remarks very nearly 
brought about an open rupture at table, as I was be- 
ginning to get somewhat savage at my continued ill 
luck and their continued impertinence. However, the 
difficulty was smoothed over, and, though the private 
speculations as to what brought me into the country 
alone were carried on as usual, they only came to me 
at second hand. 

The unpleasant turn in affairs with the authorities 
proved in the end very fortunate, for the laborantes 
began to look more favorably on me, and the suspicion 
created by the ugly report put into circulation by the 
Spanish party began to disappear. In my excursions 
I had made numerous attempts to sound persons who 
scarcely attempted to conceal their disaffection to the 
Spaniards, but without the slightest success. The 
terrible severity of the Spanish government made the 
people shrink from placing the slightest trust in a 
stranger, and though thousands must have been in 
sympathy with the insurrection, and though many 
persons spoke to me in a way to leave no doubt on 
my mind as to their being rebels, yet they were too 
much cowed to pass from mere words to actions. The 
fear of involving their families in suspicion, or exposing 
them to vengeance, caused these persons to refuse me 
all practical aid. Everywhere the marks of a reign 
of terror were visible, however much concealed under 
the forms of law, or rather the phraseology of law. In 
fact, the state of apprehension in which Cubans live is 
something passing belief, and the cruelties that have 



MENACING ATTITUDE OF THE AUTHORITIES, irg 

been committed in order to reduce a people, naturally 
talkative and boastful, to a state of abject, dumb sub- 
jection, must have been as horrible as the enemies of 
Spain represent them. If any one imagines that, be- 
cause the Cubans make no complaint, they are satisfied 
or content, he falls into a vulgar error. It has been 
my lot in life to mix a good deal with discontented 
people, — rebels, revolutionists, reformers, and, in fact, 
all categories of men who look on themselves as op- 
pressed : Poles, whose families were shivering in Sibe- 
rian wastes ; Frenchmen, whose kith and kin had been 
sent to a better world by the blood-stained mounte- 
bank who dissipated Lamartine's poetic republic with 
artillery volleys ; and many others of the same genus, 
— but, until I listened to Cubans giving vent to their 
hate of Spain, I never had any conception with what 
diabolical hatred one nation can look upon another. 
There is no use attempting to paint the feelings of the 
Cubans still under the power of Spain for the race from 
which they have sprung, because all painting would 
be a weak and ineffective representation of the reality. 
In all probability, if the present disturbed state of 
affairs continues in Spain, the pent-up rage of this 
much-oppressed people will find vent in a new Sicilian 
vespers ; and, if it were not for the fear of exposing 
their families to a renewal of the insults and outrages 
to which they were subjected after the first reverses in 
the revolution, the attempt would long since have 
been made. 



CHAPTER XI. 



NEWS FROM THE MAMBIS. 



A Mysterious Letter — Rendezvous in the Woods — Is it a Trap? — 
Phantoms of Treachery — -The Risk accepted — The Ride out^ 
Thoughts on the Way — The Mysterious Ceiba — Footsteps in the 
Dark — Quien Va ? — Cuba Libre — My Escort. 

Matters were in this state, when, on returning' from 
a long ride in the wildest part of the mountains near 
Santiago, I found a letter in a strange hand lying on 
the floor of my room. It had evidently been slipped, 
or shot, in through the latticed door, as the servants 
were very careful to place all letters left for me on the 
table, so that I could not fail to see them the moment 
I entered. The letter was written in Spanish, in a bold 
hand, and bore no signature. It stated that if Mr. 
O'Kelly wished to put himself in communication with 
the Cuban forces, he would proceed on the morrow, 
alone, and without having notified any one of his in- 
tention, to a point indicated, — which was in the very 
direction from which I had just ridden. The roads 
and paths to be followed were clearly marked out, 
and such signs given as would enable me, with a little 
attention, to find my way, although there were a good 
many turnings and twistings before the trysting-place 
could be reached. The only difficulty was the hour 
appointed ; it would be dark by the time I arrived, and 
the slightest error would compromise success. Then 
1 60 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. I 6 I 

came the doubt, is this a trap ? Impossible to make 
the slightest inquiry; for, if the letter were in good 
faith, the merest breath of suspicion aroused might 
lead to my own destruction, as well as the death of 
the men who were risking their lives to serve me. 
Still, the doubt of the genuineness of the letter would 
return; the danger of just such an ambush as this had 
been foreseen by those kind friends who were always 
comforting me with the prospect of having my throat 
cut. There was a general impression that I was very 
rich, and also that I always carried a large quantity 
of gold ; indeed, the latter fact was known to the 
servants of the hotel through one of them accidentally 
finding my money-belt, whose weight and generally 
prosperous appearance wpuld have endangered the 
lives of a dozen men. It may have been rash to have 
put a premium on my death ; but it would have been 
infinitely more foolish to have found myself in a dif- 
ficulty for want of " all- conquering gold." To the 
knowledge of this danger was added that of a still 
greater one, that the letter might have been concocted 
by some patriotic volunteers anxious to serve their 
country and increase their fortunes at the same time. 
If it should turn out so, I was lost, and I knew 
it ; but, if it were merely a plundering scheme, I 
thought it might be possible to make a bargain with 
the thieves to bring me to the insurgent outposts, for 
which service I would willingly have given them a 
thousand dollars. It consoled me somewhat to think 
that they would prefer this arrangement to having to 
take my money and my life, an operation which I had 
made up my mind should cost pretty dearly to any one 
who should attempt it. It was a source of grief to me 

14* 



!6 2 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

that circumstances would prevent me taking my double- 
barreled shot-gun, as my faith in heavy duck- shot as 
an argument was very great ; but, after reviewing the 
whole question as dispassionately as its nature would 
admit, I resolved to venture, trusting to good fortune 
to come out all right. However, this resolution was 
not taken without a good deal of perturbation of spirit ; 
for, though this life is certainly not much worth having, 
somehow even the prospect of a chance of being sent 
suddenly out of it, " with all one's sins upon one's 
head," causes in most people an unaccountable and 
very illogical weakness about the knees, to say nothing 
of a slight squeamishness about such an unpoetic 
organ as the stomach. I remember very well that the 
mysterious letter quite spoiled my appetite, although 
I had just returned from a mountain-ride, feeling as 
ravenous as a bear just awakened from his winter's 
nap. However, it was necessary to avoid arousing 
the suspicions of any of the numerous officials in the 
hotel ; and the dinner-bell having rung some time 
before, after a hasty toilet I strode into the dining- 
room, trying to look as innocent as possible, but feel- 
ing that every particular guest in the room could see 
that my careless air was all a sham, and that I was 
going over to the rebels on the morrow. It was 
necessary to show them that there was no foundation 
whatever for their suspicions ; so, after dinner, I strolled 
about the plaza, and, as there was no music, went to 
the club to gamble. One cannot well live in Cuba 
without gambling ; but let the virtuous be comforted, 
for I do not approve of gambling, and only dipped in 
on the strength of the old saw about heretics in Rome 
kissing the Pope's toe. When my eyes opened next 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



163 



day it was rather late, which was an immense advan- 
tage, as it would not be advisable to leave before the 
afternoon ; so I occupied myself with making some 
necessary preparations, by writing some letters and 
generally making ready for a voyage which might be 
eternal. Most people, it is to be supposed, make 
preparations of this sort at least once in their lives ; 
but others, more lucky, or less so, eventually get so 
used to it that the last time comes quite as a surprise 
to them. My horse was brought round to the little 
side-door at the appointed hour ; and, as the people 
had become accustomed to see me go out as if for a 
campaign, the careful equipment of my horse attracted 
no notice. It was only my customary promenade, so 
they thought, and that day I was more than usually 
exacting as to the brightness of my spurs and the 
burnish of my machete. In addition to the latter 
formidable weapon, I carried two revolvers, one being 
a small Smith & Wesson seven-shooter. In my own 
opinion, I was pretty well able to take care of myself, 
and, unless shot down treacherously by a concealed 
foe, it struck me that, in case of any foul play, whoever 
should get my money-belt would have earned it. Still, 
my reflections were not very gay, and I do remember 
that my lips stuck pretty close together all the rest of 
that day. 

At first the road was familiar, and I rode along won- 
dering how the adventure would end ; were the per- 
sons who sent the mysterious note robbers, and if so, 
how many were they ? It may be well to remark that 
only a few days before, just in this same neighbor- 
hood, two residents of Santiago de Cuba had been 
macheted to death, that is to say, chopped up until 



164 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



they were scarcely recognizable. One of them was a 
Frenchman, the other a free negro in his employ. It 
was supposed that in looking after the cattle belonging 
to the Frenchman they had been surprised, and killed 
either for plunder or for vengeance. The day before 
I had in my road to the mountains passed close to the 
spot where they had fallen, and now I found myself in 
the same region, — what if I were going to meet the 
same band ? All around was lonely, and I had already 
passed many ruined habitations where the war-demon 
had passed, but there was no longer any sign of life. 
In my anxiety not to miss the trysting-place I had left 
Santiago de Cuba some hours earlier than was neces- 
sary, and had ridden pretty hard until the neighbor- 
hood of the town and forts was left some distance 
behind. Although the directions were very clearly set 
down, in my very eagerness to be right I lost my road, 
but after a little delay found it again, and much to my 
delight came upon the trysting-place. It was a fright- 
fully lonely spot, but had at least one advantage, — if I 
got there first it would be difficult to surprise me, and 
almost impossible to take me unawares. In the mid- 
dle of what had once been a large potrero stood a single 
gigantic tree, a lonely ceiba, blasted by lightning, with 
its huge, bare arms shot out most fantastically. The 
tree itself, like a giant ghoul, seemed to watch over 
the field threateningly. In its withered grandeur it 
looked a fitter representative of death and terror than 
any grinning skull of human manikin, while the par- 
asite plants perched on the stately boughs seemed to 
mock at the decay of so much grandeur. No one who 
has not seen a tropical forest can form an idea of the 
striking, majestic appearance of these lords of the 



AEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



16 5 



forest, which grow to the height of a hundred feet, and 
whose boughs would shame the pretensions of our 
trees to any prominent place among the aristocracy of 
the forest. 

There were still well-nigh two mortal hours to wait 
before the night would fall, and it was dangerous to 
remain near the place of appointment, so, with a view 
to eventualities, I reconnoitred the ground thoroughly 
and then rode away to let the hours slip by more rap- 
idly. Probably they went by in the usual jog-trot, 
but it seemed to me that never would the night come ; 
there were clouds but no night, and the sun seemed to 
linger on purpose just because I wanted him to be 
gone. If " old Harry," my horse, could have talked, 
I fear he would have protested against my whole pro- 
ceedings, for during those two hours twenty times I 
changed direction, and conducted myself in a way 
which no well-bred animal like old Harry could be 
expected to submit to quietly. But in the end old 
Sol, in obedience to an immemorial custom, dipped 
behind the hills, and the welcome shadows came 
trooping quickly over the sky, rubbing the gilding off 
nature which the artist Sun had left on tree and rock 
as a memento of his passage. It was now time to re- 
turn in order to be first at the tryst. Loosening my 
machete so that it would come out of its peaceful 
sheath like a lightning-flash if need should be, and 
pulling round my revolver so that it also was ready for 
instant use, I rode slowly back with the shadows. 
When I arrived a gray twilight had settled over the 
potrcro, and the dark, menacing form of the ceiba rose 
up more gaunt and fantastic than in the day. Around 
the base the gloom of night had gathered, but the out- 



l66 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

reaching, giant arms seemed to grope for victims high 
up in the semi-gloom. Then came to my mind the 
remembrance of the superstitious dread entertained by 
the negroes for this tree, which they can with difficulty 
be compelled to cut down, as they believe that one out 
of the number who cut down a ceiba will surely die 
before a year has expired. Probably the belief is as 
well founded as many of the superstitions of more in- 
telligent races. A ride round the tree convinced 
me that I was first on the ground, so, dismounting, I 
resolved to wait patiently for the denouement. The 
night swept on apace, and ink-black clouds shut out 
the light of moon and stars, so that before the hour 
appointed the darkness had become so great that at 
the distance of a dozen feet it was impossible to dis- 
tinguish anything. This was a contingency upon 
which I had not counted, and certainly it gave me 
little satisfaction. My horse fortunately remained per- 
fectly still as I leaned on his neck, listening with pain- 
fully strained attention for the noise of footsteps, but 
the minutes lengthened into hours, and ages seemed 
not to move. Old Harry from time to time turned 
towards me inquiringly, as if he was anxious to know 
whether or not I was in my right mind, but as I patted 
him on the neck the intelligent animal, flattered at the 
attention, decided that I knew what I was about. 
Nearly three-quarters of an hour had elapsed in this, 
painful, anxious state, when the stillness was broken 
by the noise of stealthy footsteps coming near. Old 
Harry arched his neck and became suddenly attentive. 
Although I peered eagerly into the gloom it was im- 
possible to make out who was approaching, so drawing 
my revolver and arming it noiselessly, I awaited. In 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



167 



about half a minute I heard a low " hist." I at once 
gave the Cuban challenge, " Quien va f" and was an- 
swered by the welcome countersign, " Cuba Libre?' 
A man then approached, but he was so black that even 
after he had taken my hand, which I held out as the 
voice approached me, I could scarcely make him out, 
so much did he appear a part of the general gloom. 
In an instant we mutually convinced each other that 
we were the right persons. So far as I was concerned, 
there remained no doubt on my mind that this man 
was the representative of the people who sent the mys- 
terious letter, but who they were was still to be settled. 
It was so dark the man's features were not visible, but 
as he gave the right answers according to the letter, 
he was evidently one of the men I came to see. He 
told me he had four more men with him at some dis- 
tance, and asked me if I was prepared to follow him. 
Having assured him that I was, and slipped my revol- 
ver, which, during our interview, I held ready for use 
in my left hand, quietly into the holster, I mounted, 
and followed my strange guide. 

When I say I followed the mysterious guide, the im- 
pression conveyed to the reader is somewhat incorrect. 
The man walked, or rather glided, over the ground so 
rapidly, and the darkness was so great, that the atmos- 
phere seemed palpably thick, rendering it very difficult 
for me to keep in view the shadowy form that appeared 
ready at every instant to evaporate in the night-mists. 
More than once in that strange march the gliding 
figure vanished completely from view, though I was 
leaning eagerly over my horse's neck peering after my 
strange companion ; at other times only the wonderful 
instinct of the horse prevented me from trampling 



t 68 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

on the silent form that marched through the jet-black 
night, as though it were a spirit of darkness before 
which all material difficulties disappeared. After some 
time we reached a small wooded ravine, where the guide 
halted and warned me not to speak, then began again 
"his silent, gliding march. From the rolling of the 
small stones under the horse's feet it was clear we 
were following the dry bottom of what, in the rainy 
season, would be turned into a mountain stream. It 
was necessary to lie along the horse's neck in order 
to avoid being swept out of the saddle by the tree- 
branches that frequently formed a leafy arcade above 
my head. Soon after emerging from this covered way 
the woods became more open, and from the heavy, 
black clouds large rain-drops fell at intervals. Our 
further march was here stopped by the Camino Real, or 
King's Highway. Here the guide whispered I should 
remain until he went in search of his companions, who 
were hid in the wood close by; there were four men, 
he informed me, one of them being a white man. For 
the first time I noticed that my guide was a strong, 
athletic fellow, and was armed with a gun. Without 
waiting for a reply he J eft me, and plunged into the 
woods at the farther side of the road, where, soon 
after, a series of low whistlings were heard, which I 
conjectured were signals. The rain had begun to fall 
pretty heavily, so I dismounted and put on my water- 
proof cape, and, again taking out my revolver, prepared 
to meet my new acquaintances. All around me was 
waste and desolate, the stillness of the black night 
being only broken at intervals by the low whistle that 
from time to time resounded in the woods without 
apparently meeting a response. This circumstance 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



169 



appeared to me very suspicious, and I peered round 
anxiously, trying to discover any approaching form in 
the darkness, and listening eagerly for some step to 
break the dreadful stillness. I remained like a statue, 
leaning over the horse's neck, certainly not quite at 
ease, but watchful, and prepared for anything that 
might happen. If there was any intention to attack 
me it would have to be done in front, as my horse 
formed a kind of rampart which rendered a sudden 
assault from behind impossible. In spite of all these 
precautions my heart beat quicker as the moments 
glided away and no answer came to the low whistle, 
which I could hear repeated at intervals by the guide. 
This furnished a new source of disquietude. Were 
they really Cuban patriots, and had they been sur- 
prised ? This was by no means impossible, for the 
spot where we stood was in the very centre of Spanish 
posts extending for leagues in every direction. My 
fears on this point were almost immediately set at rest 
by a responsive whistle, repeated several times, in imi- 
tation of some of the numerous night-birds of this re- 
gion, and a few minutes after a rustling of the bushes 
was followed by the appearance of two men on the 
road. One of them was the guide, and the other, a 
white man, informed me that he was a lieutenant in the 
Cuban army, and that he had been sent specially to 
escort me to the patriot lines. I thanked him very 
briefly, and informed him that I was ready to follow him. 
While we were speaking three other human forms 
glided out of the bushes, and each one approached and 
saluted me. They, like the guide, were colored men, 
and the stealthy, rapid way they moved about in the 
darkness, as well as the raggedness of their scanty 



170 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



clothing and the wildness of the spot, were little cal- 
culated to tranquillize my apprehensions ; and even 
then I was far from sure that my new acquaintances 
were respectable parties. When the guide left me to go 
in search of his companions, he had deposited under 
my charge a bag, which, in the darkness of the night, 
I had not before perceived. This bag was now opened 
and provisions drawn out for the men, who, the lieu- 
tenant told me, had eaten nothing all day, as they were 
obliged to remain concealed in the wood to avoid dis- 
covery. To see the ravenous way the poor fellows 
pounced on some cold rice seasoned with bacallao was 
really painful, and I was almost glad that the darkness 
prevented me from seeing distinctly their faces. With 
that hospitable feeling and politeness so ingrained in 
Spanish-speaking races, one of the men invited me to 
partake of their scanty meal ; and though the dish, 
which was the man's cap, and its contents were detest- 
able, I thought it better to swallow some of the stuff, 
excusing myself from any large indulgence on the pre- 
tense of having recently dined. As the rain was fall- 
ing pretty heavily, and the men were shivering from 
lying in the damp grass, I offered them my brandy- 
flask, which was partaken of, but very slightly, by all. 
It had, however, an excellent effect on the men, for, 
when the orders to start were given, they pressed round 
to hold my horse while I mounted, and to fix my foot 
in the stirrup, — little attentions which showed they felt 
grateful that I sympathized with them. 

After distributing the provisions, and, as I afterwards 
learned, the correspondence, brought from the town 
by the guide, the party began the march. Crossing 
the C amino Real we plunged into the woods, where 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



I/I 



the darkness became again so great that I was obliged 
to depend almost wholly on the instinct of my horse 
to follow the trail. Fortunately, he had been well 
broken to this sort of travel, having at one time be- 
longed to a Spanish colonel, otherwise it would have 
been next to impossible to have kept long in company 
with those men, who, in spite of the weight of their 
arms and provisions, seemed to glide over the ground 
without effort and without noise. In fact, the only 
notice of their passage was the breaking from time to 
time of some dry branch or twig, with a short, snap- 
pish sound, when all around became silent and ghost- 
like as before. Not a word was spoken, not even a 
whisper was heard, as we wound in most tortuous way 
through woods, gullies, and briery paths, sometimes 
emerging into cultivated fields and skirting cane-fields, 
advancing without pause in the most wonderful man- 
ner through those tangled ways, though so dark was 
the night that, putting up one's hand, it was difficult to 
distinguish it. How those phantom men, who seemed 
ready every minute to melt from my view, found their 
way so unerringly is a puzzle. Some say it is instinct ; 
it may be so ; but, if so, then to my mind inst'nct 
very often leaves poor, boasted human intelligence 
behind. Some of the passages were so tangled that I 
was obliged to cut my way through the branches and 
trailing plants that were constantly entangling and 
threatening to hang me up much as a spider hangs up 
a fly. On these occasions my machete proved invalu- 
able, though the brier and cactus families playe T the 
very deuce with my face, neck, and hands, so that by 
morning I presented the appearance of a hero that had 
come badly mauled out of an encounter with a legion 



l y 2 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

of cats. Indeed, it is almost a miracle that the toll of 
an eye was not exacted for my passage through brier- 
land by the envious thorns that at every step took 
hold of flesh and clothing as if anxious to retard our 
progress. It would be difficult in the extreme to con- 
vey anything like a correct idea of the tortuous wind- 
ings of our way, even had the night been clear enough 
to allow me to distinguish the features of the country. 
At first, owing to my acquaintance with the formation 
of the ground, I was able to form a vague notion of 
the route we were following, but, after crossing some 
hills, passing along the crests of others, dipping down 
into the depths of valleys, and again emerging on 
comparatively level ground, all my topographical ideas 
became so confused that speculation had to be aban- 
doned as useless. All my attention was directed to 
an effort to save one eye at least for use in Cuba Libre. 
In this, fortunately, success to an unlooked-for degree 
attended my efforts, for though my eyes were in con- 
stant danger, and had very many narrow escapes, they 
came out of the trial whole. Our first halt was made, 
after about three hours' rapid and most fatiguing 
marching, under a huge tree. The perfect discipline 
of the men, their uncomplaining support of fatigue 
that would have tired the strongest and best-cared-for 
troops, had, to a great extent, dissipated any latent 
feelings of suspicion which had remained after the 
white lieutenant's explanation of his mission ; and as 
the poor fellows, exposed n their thin, scanty clothing 
to the pelting rain, excited my sympathy, my brandy 
was freely distributed among them, — an impulsive gen- 
erosity which afterwards proved a source of consider- 
able inconvenience to myself; but whoever, under the 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



173 



circumstances, could weigh the possible results to him- 
self of his liberality would be a person of very privi- 
leged organization. In order to avoid awakening any 
suspicion, or appearing to entertain the slightest want 
of confidence in my guides, I carefully avoided asking 
them where we were going or what route we were 
pursuing. As we soon established good, relations, 
however, under the influence of the brandy-flask, I 
ventured to inquire if they were certain that my horse 
could cross the mountains, to which they replied in 
the affirmative. This was a most important piece of 
information for me, and gave me real pleasure, as the 
condition of my health would render a long and pain- 
ful journey very trying ; my equipments also were 
unfitted for traveling on foot, and the loss of my horse 
would place me in as sorry and painful a condition as 
a dismounted cuirassier, a fate which, unfortunately, 
the gods had in store for me. 

As we left Santiago de Cuba behind us our march 
became freer, and from time to time we availed our- 
selves of the Camino Real, taking the precaution of 
sending a scout ahead. At last we reached the base 
of the mountains at the foot of the Puerto de Bayamo, 
and began the ascent. The rainfall had ceased, and 
the ink-black clouds dispersed. The moon was be- 
ginning to force her way through opposing darkness, 
and we could see the city of Santiago lying at our 
feet like an illuminated fairy palace, while the patch of 
utter blackness lying beside it we knew to be the 
harbor. Looking down from the great height of the 
mountains over the dark space that intervened, the city 
seemed to be drawn under our veiy feet, although it 
was leagues away, and it required but small effort of 



174 



THE MAMB1-LAND. 



the imagination to people the familiar Plaza with the 
gay crowds that were at that moment promenading 
under the rows of brilliant lamps, which, seen in bird's- 
eye view, were infinitely more lovely and full of charm 
than when seen under ordinary circumstances. It is 
not quite certain that I did not expect my sable guide 
of the owl-like instinct to lift up, Asmodeus-like, the 
roofs of the houses and show me what was passing 
within ; but certainly I did think that there is more 
real beauty and marvelous scenes in nature than the 
richest Eastern fairy-tale has ever painted, if we would 
only consent to see them. More than once I stopped 
my horse and turned regretfully to the fairy-land vision 
that would soon.be lost to my sight forever, and if 
only a few of the delightful impressions of the mo- 
ment, and the crowd of suggestive fleeting beauties 
called up in my imagination in those few moments 
could be painted in words, so that others could feel 
them as I felt them, my readers would owe me at least 
one charming chapter. But, unfortunately, these im- 
pressions are fleeting, and are blotted and blurred, 
when not completely wiped out, by newer impressions 
that succeed, also to perish in their turn. 

Before we had half climbed the mountain's side it 
became necessary to dismount and abandon my horse, 
to be led by one of the men, owing to the steepness 
of the ascent. Imagine a caballero, with heavy riding- 
boots, spurred, a long machete, which insisted on 
getting between his legs, hanging at his side, with 
other impedimenta, climbing a hill so steep that most 
of the time one moved almost on all-fours, and at 
moments progress being only possible by gymnastics. 
My companions seemed to mount the almost perpen- 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



175 



dicular slope of the mountain's side as if they were, 
indeed, creatures of upper air instead of the place 
where their color would more naturally, according to 
our prejudices, assign them. 

How my horse managed to climb up this hill was a 
puzzle to me, and as the ground grew at every step 
more steep, my faith in his crossing the mountains 
soon began to waver. To add to the difficulties of 
the .ascent, the rain had loosened the clayey soil, 
which crumbled under the foot, and more than once I 
narrowly escaped coming to grief through these minia- 
ture landslips. The moment of anguish at length 
arrived : in endeavoring to pass a steep curve in the 
path, the earth gave way, and poor old Harry was 
precipitated some twenty feet, — not a direct fall, for 
that was impossible, owing to the trees and under- 
growth, but very nearly so. In his fall he tore up 
trees and bushes by the roots ; and when at last he 
stopped, caught up by creeping plants, and jammed 
against the trunk of a large tree, he was almost buried 
in debris and fallen timber. It seemed to me that he 
was killed ; but the guides, with their machetes, soon 
cut through the trailers and branches that prevented 
him from rising, and when some logs that had also 
rolled over him were removed, much to my surprise 
old Harry got on his feet again ; but all his fine trap- 
pings had been swept away in that awful tumble, and 
some of my havings were never seen again. However, 
all the more necessary part of my equipment was taken 
by the guides with the best will, and carried during 
our long and fatiguing marches. Not that old Harry 
was then abandoned; one of the men stayed with him, 
and for nearly an hour the horse could be heard 



176 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



plunging his way up the hill-side; but, after several 
very heavy falls similar in character to the one de- 
scribed, old Harry positively refused to go an inch 
farther, and, after a few preliminary kicks, started 
down the mountain-side in such brilliant style that 
the astonished guides were never tired telling their 
friends of the loss of the bello caballo, as they admir- 
ingly named him. Not being able to render any assist- 
ance in conducting the horse, having quite enough to 
do to keep myself from sliding back to the starting- 
point, I had made my way to the summit of the 
mountain, where the Cuban lieutenant, Sehor de la 
Torre, had arrived before me. How I ever got there 
is a mystery to me. Certainly, in getting over some 
of the rocks which barred my passage, I presented 
more the appearance of a huge lizard than anything 
else. It was now long past midnight ; and, though 
the rain had ceased and the moon had risen, the damp 
air chilled to the very marrow. My brandy-flask had 
been emptied preliminary to the ascent; so I sat down, 
shivering and chattering in the cold night air, while 
the struggle to bring up my horse was being fought 
out gallantly by the guides. At length the direful 
news was brought me that old Harry had gone to 
Santiago on his own hook, and that it would therefore 
be necessary to continue the march on foot. The pro- 
duction at this moment of a small jar of cane-brandy 
— a cheap, strong, burning liquor of the worst class, 
but which tasted just then like nectar — consoled me 
somewhat for the loss of my horse, and, as there was 
no remedy, we started on to continue our journey as 
jollify as possible. We were now entering a less dan- 
gerous district, where my guides were not afraid to 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. ijj 

march openly in the day. The spot where we had 
rested on the summit of the mountain was quite close 
to a Spanish fort, so close that we could hear the voice 
of the sentinel crying the alerta, or that all was well, 
which we were very glad to learn on such good au- 
thority. 

With the morning light, I began to have a better 
opinion, as well as better knowledge, of the men in 
whose company I had traveled all night; they im- 
proved with acquaintance, which is a good feature in 
new friends. Three of them were black, the guide 
who had come to meet me especially so, and Pio, a 
broad-shouldered fellow, who attached himself to me 
from the first, and continued with me till I reached the 
camp of Modesto Diaz, in the quality of sable esquire 
and valet. All the men were armed with rifles, except 
the lieutenant, who contented himself with a knife, 
which gave his equipment at once an air of simplicity 
and usefulness. Though the men, in addition to their 
arms, were laden with the equipments of my horse, 
as well as my personal effects and provisions for the 
journey, they marched at a surprisingly rapid rate. 
The night's work had told on me, but I was unwilling 
to acknowledge fatigue ; so we pushed on at a swing- 
ing pace down the mountains. My equipments, as 
well as the state of my health, put me at a terrible 
disadvantage, in spite of the men being more heavily 
weighted. The flannel shirt and heavy riding-boots, 
in this up-hill-down-hollow work, played the very 
deuce with me ; but still I resolved not to be left 
behind. To aggravate my trouble, the soft Cuban 
sole-leather of my boots slipped on the wet clay and 
stones, so that I was constantly sliding backwards at 



178 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



the imminent risk of falling. The work was killing 
and disheartening, but there was nothing for it but to 
go on. It was all very well in the cool of the morn- 
ing ; but when the sun came out and showered down 
tons of heat on our unfortunate heads, every minute 
became an hour, and every mile ten. Had it been 
a decently-level road, I could have got along well 
enough; but the up-hill struggle was too much for 
my lungs when not a breath of air was stirring. 
About nine o'clock we halted in a cane-field, and, as I 
was terribly fatigued, it was proposed to get me some 
coffee ; but the people on whom we counted could 
not be found, and so it was necessary to content 
myself with a drink of water and some sugar-cane, 
a rather novel breakfast. 

Here we rested for nearly an hour, as in the next 
stretch we would have to march for hours unceasingly 
in an open country, passing within sight of two Span- 
ish forts. This was agreeable news for me, as I felt 
perfectly certain that in the event of a pursuit I could 
scarcely get away, and I was by no means certain that 
my companions would have bothered much about me. 
In justice to these men I must now say that better 
acquaintance has convinced me that they would not 
have deserted without making all the efforts to save 
and help me that honor would demand, but I did 
not then know that. Besides, we were only six men, 
with one breech-loading rifle and three muzzle-loaders. 
We could not, therefore, hope to fight any detachment 
of Spanish troops, for only strong detachments move 
about in the country. It would, therefore, be a ques- 
tion of running, and as I was completely out of train- 
ing, there was no doubt on my mind what would be 



NEWS FROM THE MA MB IS. 



179 



the result in case any pursuit should take place. With 
a view to eventualities I got possession of the single 
Remington, so that I felt if it was possible to get away 
I would. However, no enemy crossed our path, and 
we had only to contend against the awful heat and 
fatigue. About three o'clock in the afternoon we had 
almost reached the top of the hill known as el Purga- 
torio. ■ If the truth must be told, I was completely 
beaten up, and was more dead than alive. From the 
point we had reached two Spanish forts were visible 
in the valley below, and they must have seen us plainly 
during the hours we passed over open ground. We 
might be pursued, and if so, I at least would be done 
for, for I could not go any farther ; it was absolutely 
impossible. I was willing to try, but my legs were 
not. They bent about in all sorts of curious ways, and 
at last would absolutely go no farther ; so I told the 
Cubans to go on and I would follow the trail as well 
as I could when able to walk, but to their credit they 
refused to leave. One man went in search of sugar- 
cane in a field close by, and we sat down in Guinea- 
grass in full sight of the fort below, but in as sheltered 
a situation as the open hill-side afforded. There was 
a wood five hundred yards farther on, but I could not 
reach it. It was very stupid to sit down in the grass 
where we might be seen ; I knew it, and would have 
liked to go on, but I could not. All my strength, 
energy, and resolution had been absolutely exhausted 
in the awful, pauseless march through the occupied 
region, and there was nothing left but to lie down till 
nature could recuperate. Never in my life was I so 
overwhelmed with shame. I would have given any- 
thing to purchase physical strength enough to get to 



!8o THE MAMBI-LAND. 

the top of the hill. The men insisted on taking off 
my heavy riding-boots and flannel, which were killing 
me with heat. Half an hour's rest and some sugar- 
cane, however, restored me sufficiently to enable me to 
continue the march, but much more lightly equipped, 
and by the time we reached the outlying encamp- 
ment which placed me in the territory of Cuba Libre, 
my strength had somewhat returned. 



CHAPTER XII. 



IN CUBA LIBRE AT LAST. 



Mambi Hospitality — Los Insurrectos as they are and as they are painted 
— Cuban Warfare — The Young Mambis — Burning Cuban Encamp- 
ments — My First Ball in Mambi-Land — Touching Incident — Bless- 
ing the Children. 

We had been marching on the second day for some 
time over comparatively level ground, when suddenly 
we came on a number of tracks in the woods running 
in different directions. We were near a halting-place, 
which to me was exceedingly welcome news. A turn 
in the path brought us face to face with a young girl 
who, though evidently glad to see the convoyeros, 
looked on me with very little confidence. My garb 
was too suggestive of a Spanish officer to be pleasing, 
and my appearance created quite a sensation in the 
hamlet, where a number of families were assembled. It 
was not, however, of a pleasurable kind, and was very 
nearly having an unpleasant result. Treachery has 
unfortunately not been unknown in the Cuban strug- 
gle, and my unannounced appearance at the heels of 
the guides frightened some women, who thought I 
might be followed by Spanish soldiers. The panic 
was about to spread, some of the women having 
already snatched up whatever was readiest and most 
valuable, to flee into the woods for safety, and a con- 
valescent soldier had seized his gun to fire at me when 
he fortunately recognized his brother, who was one of 

16 181 



I 82 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

the ■ guides, and, laying aside his gun, calmed the 
women about him with the assurance that I must be a 
friend. This incident passed so rapidly that it escaped 
my notice at the time, as my attention was naturally 
distracted, wandering over the novel scenes of life in 
Cuba Libre, where I was at last arrived. There were 
not more than half a dozen leaf-covered huts visible ; 
but at a short distance there was another group of 
similar structures occupied by families. A leaf shelter, 
open at all sides, was at once prepared for my recep- 
tion, a bed of laths, or rather twigs, was constructed, 
and while these preparations were being completed, the 
women presented me with delightful coffee ; at least I 
found it more delicious than ever the best Mocha had 
tasted to me in civilized life. 

After all the stories told me about savage negroes, 
ignorant as ferocious, wandering naked in the woods, 
respecting no laws, human or divine, and merely stop- 
ping short of cannibalism, it was some relief to me to 
be able to look around and find myself surrounded by 
persons of gentle, and even polished, manners. It is 
true that clothing was rather scanty, but there was 
enough for decency, and in this favored clime little 
more is needed. The women were all adequately 
clothed, and in many instances were even able to ex- 
hibit a certain amount of coquetry in their dress, which 
no true woman having an opportunity to do would be 
likely to let slip. Without being at all intrusive, the 
few men in the settlement came to welcome me and 
make a polite offer of service. Indeed, considering 
that very many of these people had been slaves, — all 
of them except De la Torre were colored, — their con- 
duct contrasted very favorably with what I have since 



IN CUBA LIBRE AT LAST. 



183 



observed among the white Catalans and Castilians, 
who contemptuously look upon them as barbarians 
and ncgros sitcltos, or to translate the idea, " runaway- 
niggers." Before I was half an hour among them I 
was perfectly at my ease, and feeling as safe from all in- 
sult or aggression as though seated, in an aristocratic 
quarter of a European capital. This little nameless 
hamlet belongs to a numerous class of settlements 
scattered over Cuba Libre. For the most part the 
inhabitants were peaceable people, anxious to be let 
alone, but quite resolved never to submit to Spanish 
authority. There was the inevitable prefect, whose 
duty it was to look after such wounded or helpless 
persons as might be left in his district, and furnish 
skilled guides to the operating forces. Beyond this 
the inhabitants have little to do with the warlike 
operations, and would fain be allowed to work in 
peace. The settlement occupied a small clearing in 
the forest, not much larger than was absolutely neces- 
sary to allow the erection of houses ; and when any 
new erections are found necessary, the needed space 
is opened under the direction of the prefect. It was 
to me extremely interesting to watch this germ of 
a new society, and endeavor to go back mentally 
through numberless ages to the time when little com- 
munities like this were formed in the primeval forests, 
to grow with time into great nations ; and, just as the 
seed cast into the ground to-day comes out into air 
and light, and absorbs nourishment, to grow into a 
stately tree, just as other trees did in the millions of 
ages that have left only geological traces of their ex- 
istence, so this human seed, I thought, represents the 
growth of society, even as it grew in the primeval 



r 84 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

times, in all matters essential. The analogy may 
appear forced, but take away a few iron machetes and 
the guns, and what do these people possess which, 
after the first few ages of existence, the primitive man 
might not possess ? Nothing, absolutely nothing. 
The state of society in which they live prevents them 
working metals, even had they the necessary skill or 
knowledge, and the trees furnish all instruments of 
household or field use, and they are of the simplest, — 
a sharp stick to root up the sweet potatoes, an impro- 
vised mill to crush the sugar-cane, whose honey-juice 
is collected in a gourd cut in half, or some contrivance 
equally primitive. Their manufactures are confined to 
the chief necessaries of life, and here bounteous nature 
supplies them with all needful materials, only having 
to stretch out their hands to take the gifts a rich and 
tender motherland offers to her children. The cotton- 
tree gives pods that are skillfully spun into thread; the 
majajua, twine, from which hammocks, sandals, shoes 
even, are made, as well as those most useful huge sacks 
in which the patriot often carries a crop he has reaped, 
though he had not sown it ; and many kinds of grasses 
are woven into sombreros to shelter patriot heads from 
the fierce ardor of the sun. 

These manufactures are carried on by women, as is 
right they should be, while the men hunt the wood- 
rat, or dig for the sweet root, or gather the luscious 
orange, or cut the succulent sugar-cane, each one con- 
tributing something in some way to the general pros- 
perity. Not for this, however, is there any approach 
to common property, or socialism ; each one is abso- 
lute master of what he gathers, and distributes as seems 
good to him the result of his labor. Mostly, for con- 



IN CUBA LIBRE AT LAST. 



185 



venience, the people live in small groups, but each 
member of the group has his or her worldly goods 
apart, be they gold-pieces, or guns, or gowns, or what- 
ever else. Nothing more surprised me than this 
feature of respect for property, little to be looked for 
under the circumstances in which these people have 
lived for nearly five years. 

These Mambi settlements are the special object of 
hatred to the Spanish authorities, and hence no effort 
is spared to destroy and root them out. For this 
reason the habitations are separated from the fields 
whence the means of subsistence are derived, and hid 
away in the most secret part of the woods, far from the 
path of the Spanish columns. Much indignation is 
given vent to by Spanish officials and their foreign 
nigger -whipping, sugar - worshiping sympathizers, 
noble Saxons, free Americans, and other worthy rep- 
resentatives of civilized communities, because the 
Cuban patriots burn down plantations which furnish 
the principal revenue to their Spanish enemies, and 
which are turned into actual forts, garrisoned by 
Spanish soldiers, but it never for a moment enters the 
minds of these defenders of property and its sacred 
rights that it is also a crime against civilization and 
humanity to burn down the leaf-thatched hut of the 
Cuban, and his sugar-cane, and cut down his banana- 
tree, at the imminent risk of causing him and his 
young family — for young families are numerous in 
Cuba Libre — to die of starvation. More than once 
have I listened with loathing and disgust to noble 
hidalgos and "illustrious swords" recounting with 
glee how their troops had fallen suddenly on some 
little settlement in the night, and how the trembling 

16'* 



1 86 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

women fled to the woods with the children and what 
little they could save, but thankful that they had not 
the evil fortune to fall into Spanish hands. On such 
occasions the property of the poor people is carried 
off or destroyed, and their miserable homes consigned 
to the flames, while the conquerors of helpless women 
and children march proudly back to civilization, and 
loudly proclaim the capture of another rebel en- 
campment. Sometimes it happens that a crippled or 
wounded Cuban is found unable to escape. If he is 
fortunate he is at once killed ; if not, he dies more 
slowly. The prisoners that are brought in sometimes 
from these most glorious expeditions are, for the most 
part, women, worn out from sickness and fatigue, 
who present themselves to the troops in order to be 
allowed to return to the towns ; and, as they are 
paraded as captives, and shown to foreigners as a 
proof of the nobleness and generosity with which the 
Spanish party make war, they are sometimes taken to 
the towns and allowed to dwell in peace. But for 
those captured in fight, or after a surprise, quite a 
different fate is reserved. Indeed, these histories are 
far too shocking to find a place here ; and, unfortu- 
nately for humanity, they are not only of frequent 
occurrence, but men who would be offended if it were 
hinted that they were not gentlemen witness these 
acts of outrage and barbarity, and yet think it no dis- 
honor to wear a sword in a service where nameless 
crimes are not alone suffered, but applauded and 
rewarded. 

It is seldom that the poor people go far from the 
scene of their misfortunes, but remain hidden in the 
recesses of the forests in fear and trembling', suffering- 



IN CUBA LIBRE AT LAST. 



l8 7 



hunger and thirst, to which is often added excruciating 
mental torture, in the fear that some loved one has 
perished. When it is hoped that the civilizers have 
departed, some venturesome explorer moves out to 
reconnoitre the spot where humble homes had been, 
and if he brings back the joyful news that the storm 
has passed, and that the Spaniard has departed, those 
wretched people steal back like ghosts of their former 
selves, and dwell in fear and trembling until the 
memory of that day of sorrow has been forgotten in 
the glorious sunshine of this unhappy land, where 
nature hastens to cover up every scar inflicted on her 
fair face by the brutal hand of thoughtless, passionful 
man. If the life of this people has not more analogy 
with that of the generations in the past, whose strength 
was justice, I am much mistaken. Certainly there 
appears to me no reason to draw any distinction be- 
tween the rifle-armed columns that march under the 
flag of Castile and the not more brutal band of the 
hunting age pouncing on some weaker tribe, slaying 
the valiant and carrying into slavery such as preferred 
a dishonored life to death. In each case the aim and 
the excuse are similar, and it cannot much alter the 
nature of the act that one band slays with rifle-bullets 
while the other killed with clubs, or other rude con- 
trivance. It is at once creditable to the constancy and 
nobility of these people that five years of such life 
has failed to make them in reality as savage and as 
barbarous as their persecutors represent them. That 
it has altered the natural docility of character is un- 
questionable, and men who, in the beginning, were 
mild and harmless, have acquired a severity which, 
under great excitement, would possibly become akin 



!88 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

to ferocity. Indeed, the Cubans, black and white, 
would be the most contemptible of God's kind if they 
were not severe, to the uttermost edge of the law, 
after the barbarous wrongs they have suffered. It is 
not good that nations any more than individuals should 
be allowed to commit crimes with impunity, and the 
arm that smites murderously merits to be cut off mer- 
cilessly. Sitting among these gentle-natured and 
good-hearted people, I could not refrain from wonder- 
ing how boldly men can lie, how cruelly the character 
of a people can be blackened, and the crimes com- 
mitted against them be turned into virtues by the 
serpent tongue that defames cunningly and has the 
ear of mankind. Here were men who for months had 
been represented to me as ferocious savages, without 
respect for God or man, owning no laws but force, 
steeped in brutality, and employing their days and 
nights in wild revelry, only thinking of satisfying the 
lowest and most bestial passions ; in a word, beings 
whom it was a duty to slay, enemies of God and of 
humanity : and here, face to face with this terrible 
race, I find them peaceful, respectful, good-hearted, 
gentle, and hospitable. Such is the result of human 
passion and malignity. 

At the moment of our arrival a good number of the 
dwellers in this settlement had gone in various direc- 
tions to search for food, and, as the evening began to 
close in, quite a long train of young children of both 
sexes arrived in the hamlet, bearing loads of cane- 
stalks, sweet potatoes, oranges, and other fruits which 
they had gathered in the abandoned plantations, which 
were numerous in the neighborhood of the settlement, 
and furnished the principal means of support to the 



IN CUBA LIBRE AT LAST. 



189 



inhabitants. The file of children moved in gravely 
and demurely, looking just like a swarm of ants. The 
oldest among them could scarcely have passed twelve 
or thirteen years of age. Being too young to take 
arms, these little ones were gradually being formed to 
habits of order and industry. It was said, and my 
own observation confirmed the correctness of the judg- 
ment, that the young children growing up in this 
semi-wild state were infinitely more industrious and 
enterprising than the grown people who had been 
reared as slaves on the plantations. These little men 
and women were certainly untiring, and during my 
stay they brought sufficient provisions into the settle- 
ment to support the grown-up people for a week, at 
least it appeared so to me. After-experience taught 
me that as the young Mambis were harder-working 
they were infinitely harder-fighting than the older- 
men. Now the flower of the Cuban army is com- 
posed of those who were little more than children 
when the cry of Yara went up and invoked the God 
of freedom to aid in making Cuba a nation. 

The evening was fast closing in when the little ones 
filed past, and though I had partaken of at least a 
dozen cups of coffee and sundry sweet potatoes, cakes 
of cassava plant, and many other Mambi luxuries, I 
was expected to eat at least two dinners, for every one 
was desirous that the stranger should partake of some- 
thing from his particular store, and it was rather for- 
tunate that the number of families was limited, or I 
might have been killed with kindness. But even dining 
must have an end, and, in order that the time should 
not lie too heavily on my hands, it was determined to 
get up a ball in my honor. There was, however, a 



190 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



great difficulty : neither music nor musician was at 
hand ; but, when people have made up their minds 
to dance, such trifles are never suffered to stand in 
the way, so an improvised tamtam of the most bar- 
barous kind was put into requisition, and the ball 
began by the children dancing. Then the ladies in 
their finery appeared, and the native danza was kept 
up until the stars came out and warned the revelers to 
be gone. 

The amusement was certainly rude, and the whole 
scene tinged with something of the grotesque, as the 
dusky forms of the dancers moved about in the nar- 
row space, lighted up by the glare of torches, to the 
monotonous beat of the tamtam. But an incident 
that occurred in the midst of the somewhat boisterous 
gayety of my new acquaintances has impressed that 
night on my memory as one of the sweetest and most 
instructive in my life. The fun was at its height when 
a charming little colored girl about four years old 
came up and stood before me, looking full into my 
face, her large, full eyes turned upon me with a gentle 
appealing expression. The posture of the child, too, 
was striking : her hands were crossed upon her breast, 
and the sweet, smiling face reminded me of the tender, 
heavenly Madonnas of poetic Murillo. At first the 
idea came to me that the child wished me to give her 
some present, as a civilized child would have expected 
one ; but, fearful of giving any cause of offense, and 
seeing that other children were presenting themselves 
in similar postures to the various lookers-on, I turned 
to the lieutenant, who was seated beside me, and asked 
him what the children were doing. 

" Oh," was the reply, "they are asking the evening 



IN CUBA LIBRE AT LAST. IgI 

blessing from all the grown-up people; it is their 
custom to do so every night before retiring to rest." 

As I turned round, the infant was still standing in 
the Madonna-like posture, with the same sweet smile, 
waiting for my blessing; and as I placed my hand on 
her head, and wished that God would always protect 
such innocence, I think a tear rolled down my cheek, 
at least I hope one did ; for, though not a religious 
man in any sense of the word, the sweetness and 
beauty of this custom, so much in contrast with the 
wildness of Mambi life, and so foreign to the scenes 
of slaughter and outrage which make up the daily 
history of this suffering people, deeply impressed me, 
and I felt my heart soften and turn to the Almighty 
Being who holds our microcosm in the hollow of his 
hand, and smiles pityingly at our sorrows and pas- 
sionate struggles. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



LIFE IN CUBA LIBRE. 



A Horse Adventure — Dining on Horse-flesh — Arrival of Escort — 
Rights of Property in Mambi-Land — March to Tempii — Morning in 
the Forest — Reception by Colonel Matias Vega — Cuban Encamp- 
ment — Mambi Industries. 

At break of dawn every one in this leafy village 
was astir, and as I looked out of my shelter I could 
see that a general activity prevailed. The improvised 
sugar-mills were in full activity, and it was surprising 
to see how effectively and rapidly they performed the 
work for which they were intended. The Mambi-mill 
— ingenio-mambi as the patriots call it — is the very acme 
of simplicity. A tree is cut down and 'a kind of ledge 
cut on the trunk, and through a hole made in the 
trunk, about six inches above the ledge, a long pole, 
three or four inches in diameter, is fastened, which is 
used as a lever to crush the cane placed on the ledge. 
A piece of copper or tin is fastened to act as a shoot 
in conveying the juice to the vessels placed to receive 
it. This juice is afterwards boiled and made into 
sugar, or used in the manufacture of chocolate, which 
is carried on quite extensively, though at present for 
home consumption merely. These matters were full 
of interest to me as being exceedingly novel, but I 
was chiefly anxious to reach Cambute, which was dis- 
tant some six or seven leagues. Tempii, a consider- 
able encampment, under the command of Colonel 
192 



LIFE IN CUBA LIBRE. 



193 



Matias Vega, was only two leagues away, and as 
word had been sent of my arrival, orders were hourly 
expected. In the mean time, the question of the 
moment was to supply the loss of my horse. It was 
agreed on all hands that the matter was difficult, as 
all four-legged animals in that region had long since 
been turned into steaks, and more or less savory stews, 
by hungry patriots. However, there was one animal 
known to be in existence somewhere, and scouts were 
sent out to bring it in, by coaxing, or bullying, or fight- 
ing, if necessary ; so, with these wide-reaching orders, 
parties went out in search of a horse, and I was prom- 
ising myself a remount, when a messenger arrived 
with the joyful intelligence that two horses were out- 
side the hamlet. The prospect of getting astride any- 
thing in the shape of a horse roused me up to something 
approaching enthusiasm, but when I arrived where the 
horses were my feelings experienced a shock. A poor, 
foundered beast, with unbendable legs, scraggy neck, 
dull, leaden eyes, and a frightful sore shoulder, was 
presented to me as my Rosinante, but, shade of Quix- 
ote, what an insult to thy charger ! Had I consented 
for an instant to get on the poor animal's back, I 
should have lived in eternal dread of the just ven- 
geance of Bergh. The other horse, small but strong, 
young and active as a cat, belonged to a black soldier 
who was conducting him to the camp of his chief, 
where the poor animal was going to be eaten. Every 
effort was made to induce the soldier to sell the horse, 
but he would not. His duty to his chief was above 
all considerations, and though I could not help admir- 
ing the sterling honesty of the man, I had to admit 
that virtue is sometimes most inconvenient. If the 

17 



l gA THE MA MB I- LAND. 

chief had been present the horse would have been 
given at once, but the sable Spartan only knew that it 
was his duty to bring the horse to the Monte del 
Toro, and to the mountain he brought him, leaving 
me to admire his sense of discipline and bewail my 
own ill luck. As nothing could induce me to have 
anything to do with the animated skeleton of a horse, 
an enterprising person, with an eye to business, pur- 
chased and killed him. At first I thought he was 
about to be distributed for the benefit of every one, but 
soon discovered that the laws of meum and tuupi were 
much more rigidly observed than I had had any notion 
of, and that the dwellers in the hamlet would no more 
take a slice of horse-flesh without giving an equivalent, 
than would a citizen of Paris think of appropriating 
the contents of a stall in the Halles. 

Towards evening a colored officer arrived with a 
guard of thirty men to escort me to Tempii. It was 
rather a surprise to find that they were all colored, and 
not by any means a pleasant one ; not that I have any 
objection to colored people, but there came a chill 
over me lest the reports which had been constantly 
dinned into my ears that all the white men, except 
some half-dozen, had been killed, or were dead from 
sickness and disease, should prove well founded. Had 
this been true, the chance of success of the Cuban 
revolution would have been at an end, because ignorant 
men, however brave, cannot hope successfully to main- 
tain a struggle which requires delicate combinations 
and great forethought to render success possible. The 
men, however, conducted themselves admirably, and 
such of them as had the means invested in old horse, 
while those who had nothing grinned, and hoped for 



LIFE IN CUBA LIBRE. 



195 



better times, but made no attempt to appropriate even 
a bone. This moderation quite astonished me, as it 
certainly would not be exhibited by European rebels 
under similar circumstances. That property in effects 
should be recognized as sacred was not to be so much 
wondered at, but that one man of a patriotic army 
should have food, and another go hungry because he 
had no money to buy food, was carrying respect for 
vested rights to an extreme. If these men be robbers 
and vagabonds, then there must be very few honest 
people in the world. That evening was one of feasting 
and rejoicing, as it is not every day that these folk fall 
on the frame-work of a horse. My own dinner, how- 
ever, suffered from what I had seen. For the first 
time in my life I had knowingly eaten horse-flesh, and 
as my grinders closed on a specially savory morsel 
.reserved for me, the spectre of the animated frame- 
work appeared, with those sad, leaden eyes, and both 
my conscience and my stomach reproached me for 
my bad taste. Never again shall I eat horse-flesh 
without thinking of this poor victim of carnivorous 
man. 

Next morning my bronze and ebony guard paraded 
at an early hour ; so, after much hand-shaking and the 
exchange of mutual good wishes, I took leave of my 
hospitable entertainers, and, taking up the position 
assigned to me in the centre of the line, set out in 
good earnest in search of Cespedes and his republican 
government. My hopes of meeting him at Cambute 
were dashed by the news, brought by the brown colo- 
nel, that he had already left that encampment to join 
Calisto Garcia Iniguez ; so there was a prospect of a 
long hunt before he could be come up with. How- 



IC)6 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

ever, as I was now beyond question on the right road, 
and found that the most complete order and organiza- 
tion, in all essential points possible under existing 
conditions, were maintained, I felt quite satisfied that 
the success of my mission was secured, and this being 
so, the delay of a week or a month was to me a matter 
of merely secondary importance. A few steps from 
the leaf-thatched huts brought us into the virgin forest 
with its wealth of creeping plants, lianes, vines, and 
wonderful parasite growth that swayed in festoons far 
above our heads in lofty independence ; graceful trail- 
ing vines; dangling, cord-suspended pods; delicate, 
leaf-tipped branches, swaying gently in the morning 
breeze, diamond-dew laden ; while through the fretwork 
of the leafy arch overhead struggled the roseate beams 
of the newly-risen sun, tinting tree-trunk, stem, and 
leaf, and dew-drop with colors of the emerald, agate, 
ruby, and all other precious stones, and changing the 
tall, graceful stems that shot up among the delicate 
fretwork into gold and silver pillars, until the whole 
forest seemed changed into some most wonderful fairy 
palace, wrought with such skill as never human mind 
conceived nor clumsy-handed man created. How pale 
the richest colors of Gothic windows compared with 
the living, liquid hues of the crystal-decked foliage, 
transparent in the roseate light that shone through 
the cunning tracery of the foliate arches, reflected in 
our path, lighting up the dim, shadowed nave, where 
we poor earth-worms crawled, only half conscious 
of the wondrous beauty surrounding us on every 
side ! Wherever the eye turned it rested on the same 
intricate, delicate tangle, that began nowhere and ended 
nowhere. Vegetable threads, like silk cords, and 



LIFE IiV CUBA LIBRE. 



I 9 7 



vines, that in the distance looked like ship's cables, 
hung gracefully over boughs in countless festoons, or 
climbed up into trees, and winding, snake-like, through 
their branches, stretched out into other trees beyond, 
like huge serpents, and lost themselves amidst the 
foliage in the air-world beyond our vision. 

For nearly two hours we wound along the narrow, 
sinuous track which led to Tempu, and though the 
sun was scorching in the open stretches, beneath the 
canopy of the forest the air was cool, and even chill. 
A broad, clear stream blocked our farther passage, 
but, skirting the river-banks for some hundred yards, 
we came to a shallow ford, into which the men 
plunged at once. One of the soldiers immediately 
offered to carry me across, but the temptation of a 
pleasant foot-bath was irresistible, and, taking off my 
boots and gaiters, I waded across. Arrived on the 
opposite bank, the character of the country underwent 
a change ; the trees disappeared to the horizon, or 
became very sparse, and large stretches of pasture 
and cane-field were presented to the view. In the 
distance rose the chimney of the ingenio of Tempii, 
which before the war must have been one of the largest 
and most prosperous in Cuba, but was now little more 
than a mass of ruins, though the cane-fields, waving 
with richest verdure, extended gracefully and peace- 
fully over large tracts of country. 

As we approached the ingenio, a group of officers 
was seen on a slight eminence evidently awaiting our 
approach. They proved to be Colonel Matias Vega 
and a number of white officers, waiting to receive me 
and conduct me to their encampment. The sight of a 
crowd of white faces was certainly a pleasure, and it 



198 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



was a great relief to me to see that Cuba Libre was 
not made up wholly of negros sueltos. 

After about half an hour's march through tall, rank, 
Guinea-grass, and the still more stifling cane-fields, we 
entered the encampment of Tempu, where some hun- 
dreds of human beings were working like bees, and 
everything gave evidence of even better order and 
discipline than existed in the little outside resting 
settlement. Here was a regularly-organized Cuban 
encampment, where every one was completely under 
the orders of the chief. Some were hut-building, and 
the buildings were more solid and more pretentious 
than in the outpost settlement. Sugar-making was 
being carried on very extensively, and some of the 
numerous Mambi-mills were imposing in size and 
worked by a number of men. Large pans had been 
taken from the ingenio, and were now fixed in the 
camp, and the process of sugar-boiling was being 
carried on with evident skill. The women and chil- 
dren, and most of the men, crowded round to see the 
new arrival from the outside world, from which they 
had been so long cut off; but, as I was conducted 
directly to the neat hut of Colonel Vega, I was saved 
from all inconvenience on the score of curiosity. It 
is due to these people to say that they exhibited a 
delicacy in this, as in many other matters, that would 
put to shame a more pretentious society. After a 
little rest and partaking of some coffee, it was pro- 
posed to me to inspect the camp. 

The camp of Tempu' was situated in a large, circular 
clearing, at the base of wooded hills which closed 
round in a semicircle, and on the side of the plain 
was screened from view by a wide belt of timber, 



LIFE IN CUBA LIBRE. Y gg 

which effectually cut the camp off from all observa- 
tion. Inside, the ground was disposed with as much 
order and regularity as its somewhat broken nature 
would admit of; the houses were constructed on 
parallel lines, and this regulation was rigorously en- 
forced, to prevent the place becoming a jumble. Per- 
fect order seemed to be maintained, and no loafing 
permitted. Every one was occupied in some way, 
and the whole air of the place was redolent of industry 
and labor. From time to time groups emerged from 
the belt of wood carrying cane cut in the fields we 
had passed through ; others brought bushels of fagots 
to feed the fires ; and of those in camp, such as were 
not engaged in sugar-boiling or hut-building were 
occupied in some useful way. This society, rude 
and primitive as it certainly was, made on me the 
impression that it possessed as much organization as 
could be expected to exist under the difficult circum- 
stances in which it was placed. It was rather surpris- 
ing to find a Cuban town so close to the Spanish 
outposts, apparently not apprehensive of any danger. 
It must be remembered that this spot could not be 
more than nine or ten miles from the town of Cobre, 
strongly occupied by Spanish troops on the one side, 
and a less distance from Palma Sorianna on the other. 
My wonder was increased when Colonel Vega informed 
me that, since the outbreak of the insurrection, he had 
never been more than a few miles distant from the 
spot he now occupied, although he had been attacked 
and had his encampment burned by the enemy several 
times. " You see," said Colonel Vega to me, " the 
Spaniards think they can conquer us by burning our 
camps ; but it is a great error ; we do not defend the 



200 THE MAM B I- LAND. 

camp, because, if we did, we might be surrounded by 
the enemy ; but, as soon as they approach, we retire 
to the woods, and, while they are exposed- burning 
the huts, we shoot them down. If they are too 
strong, we retire into the woods until they are gone, 
when we return to the camp, and in a few days it is 
built up again, just as if nothing ever had happened. 
Sometimes the Spaniards pay very dearly for these 
burnings. You remember the hill I pointed out to 
you coming to the camp. Well, a year ago a Spanish 
column attacked a camp we had about a mile from 
this place, and burned it down. They thought we 
had run away ; but we were waiting for them in ambush 
in the forest when they returned, and, just as they 
reached the centre of the open glade, we poured in 
volley after volley on them, causing awful slaughter. 
That day they lost over one hundred and fifty men, 
while our loss was quite insignificant. Since then 
they have not troubled me much. We change our 
camps about from time to time, according to the 
facility of obtaining provisions. We have only come 
here about ten days ago, in order to be near the cane- 
fields, as we are now gathering our sugar harvest; 
but during the whole insurrection my command has 
never been many miles distant from this point, and if 
the Spanish soldiers want to find me they know very 
well where I am." The colonel gave me many other 
interesting details of the struggle; but, as they belong 
rather to the province of history than to a narrative 
of personal experience, they are not reproduced here. 
A chat with Colonel Vega soon convinced me that 
it would be waste of time to go to Cambute. Jesus 
Perez, the general commanding the district, had left 



LIFE IN CUBA LIBRE. 201 

for the coast on some important business, and could 
not return before a couple of weeks. It was therefore 
better to join Calisto Garcia Ihiguez, who would have 
opportunities of sending me to the presidential resi- 
dence. There was no horse in camp, but an offer was 
made to send scouts to hunt one up, or capture one ; 
but, as they might not return for some days, I thought 
better to decline. It was certainly annoying, but, as 
Calisto Garcia's camp was only three days' march over 
a fairly level country, it appeared to me much better 
to undertake the march than to wait, and, perhaps, in 
the end have to walk. My resolution was communi- 
cated to Colonel Vega, who approved of it, and imme- 
diately gave orders for thirty of the best-armed men 
to be ready to accompany me. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



IN SEARCH OF CESPEDES. 



Skirting Palma Sorianna — Witness First Military Operation — Cutting 
the Telegraph-Wires — Over old Battle-Grounds — Bivouac in the 
Woods — Graves in the Forest — Unburied Skulls — Camping-Ground 
of the Cubans — The Lost Child — Fowling under Difficulties. 

The escort paraded about seven o'clock next morn- 
ing, and ammunition was distributed to the men. Major 
Vega, the colonel's brother, took the command ; we 
were also to be accompanied by some half-dozen white 
subaltern officers, an arrangement that gave me-a good 
deal of satisfaction, as it would enable me to become ac- 
quainted with the views and character of the Cubans in 
the field. As it turned out afterwards, all those young 
men proved most agreeable and thoughtful companions. 
Though none of them were what could be called well 
educated, or informed in matters scholastic, they pos- 
sessed a fund of information of a different kind, much 
more useful to them than any vain appendage of classic 
lore. Without being learned, they had knowledge, 
some of it of a most surprising kind. Every tree and 
flower and grass had a use or virtue with which they 
seemed acquainted, and the histories told about them 
were exceedingly novel and interesting. It is true, 
implicit reliance could not be placed on all that was 
told me, but for this the stories did not cease to be 
interesting. In the five years' struggle very many 



IN SEARCH OF CESPEDES. 2 0$ 

points had acquired an historic interest as the scene 
of an adventure, a lucky escape, a battle, or a massacre, 
and as my companions took infinite pains to point out 
all these spots, and recount, with Oriental picturesque- 
ness, the surprise, the flight, or the battle, the hours 
glided quickly enough away. 

The first day we passed close to Palma Sorianna, so 
close that it was easy to recognize the patch of wood 
through which ran the road it was my intention to 
have followed had the Spaniards permitted me to con- 
tinue my journey to the Cuban lines, and now this 
turning-back point was passed with a certain grim 
satisfaction. It was refreshing to think how much an- 
noyed the wonderful autoridad would be when that 
awful fogy should learn that, in spite of all precautions 
and warning, the Herald correspondent had succeeded 
in entering Cuba Libre. It must have been about 
noon when we passed, and, doubtless, the Spaniards 
were tranquilly enjoying their siesta; however, in 
order to be prepared for eventualities, our party closed 
up, keeping a pretty sharp lookout. Fortunately, no 
enemy was encountered, and we again plunged into the 
forest, where we were comparatively safe. About an 
hour later we emerged on the Camino Real, where the 
party cut the telegraph-wires before proceeding on 
our way. This was the first military operation wit- 
nessed by me, and it reminded me that we were now 
actually on the war-path, and that, should we fall in 
with a large force of Spanish troops, the result might 
be very unpleasant for me. The danger of a rencontre 
arose from the smallness of our force, which, although 
a very respectable body-guard, could have had no 
chance against the large Spanish columns, seldom 



204 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



numbering less than five hundred men, that moved 
about the country. A better understanding of the 
nature of the war would have lessened my apprehen- 
sions on this score, for the danger was more apparent 
than real. Whatever Spanish force we might encoun- 
ter, we could easily escape from it, as the Spaniards 
would not dare to follow us for any distance into the 
recesses of the woods. The confidence of my com- 
panions appeared to me overweening, as they seemed 
perfectly indifferent to the meeting of a superior force. 
Indeed, their openly- proclaimed contempt for the 
Spanish troops produced rather an unfavorable im- 
pression on my mind, as it appeared to me fanfaronade. 
This impression, however, wore off with time, when I 
became more acquainted with the habits of thought 
and inflated mode of expression of this people, to 
which the richness and sonorousness of their language 
so much induces. It seems natural to the Cubans to 
declaim poetically. The cold dignity of the Spaniard 
has thawed in this genial clime, and the magniloquent 
forms of his language have felt the influence of the 
fertilizing and enriching tropic clime ; hence we can 
scarcely accept literally what the ordinary Cuban may 
say. Unconsciously he exaggerates, even when talk- 
ing in the best faith. Perhaps one of the most amus- 
ing features in his character is the objection he has to 
admit defeat. If you listen to him he has always been 
individually successful. It may be that he has been 
driven from his position, and even pursued pretty 
vigorously, but this, in his eyes, does not constitute 
defeat ; and one may hear him giving his version of 
the fight with a most amusing indifference to its gen- 
eral results. The Cuban army may be dispersed, but 



IN SEARCH OF CESPEDES. 



205 



the soldier, in his own estimation, is never beaten; 
and this feeling is perhaps one of the great sources of 
the indomitable resolution of the men in the Manigua. 

An amusing instance of this weakness was furnished 
by Major Vega, who could not resist the temptation 
of giving me an account of one of the first battles of 
the war, as we passed over the ground where it was 
fought. The different incidents of the battle were 
descanted on with a certain amount of correctness, the 
attack, feints, mistakes, and repulses were painted with 
a vividness really remarkable, in which the wonderful 
courage and devotion of the Cubans were awarded no 
faint meed of praise. Fortunately, the other side of 
the story was familiar to me, as Commandante Lopez 
of the St. Ouentin battalion had been a prominent 
actor in the fight, and had given me more than once 
the Spanish version, no doubt as much colored by 
prejudice as the more poetical description of the Creole, 
which, therefore, afforded me considerable amusement, 
as I wickedly took a pleasure in encouraging the 
Cuban major in his exaggerations just to see how far. 
his Oriental imagination would carry him. 

Towards evening we halted in a barranca where 
some pools of clear rain-water enabled us to cook. 
The track we had followed ran through our camping- 
place, but it was thought that our safety would be suf- 
ficiently secured by placing a guard on each side, as 
wcwere surrounded by the impenetrable forest. Fires 
were soon lighted, and the odor of the welcome coffee 
was sniffed with real pleasure. Pio, my sable squire, 
having suspended my hammock between two trees, 
went off to aid in the culinary operations, at which he 
was quite au fait. The scene presented in a few mo- 

18 



206 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

merits was certainly remarkably picturesque, — the 
groups of men in their strange and varied attire, their 
packs and arms carefully placed where they could be 
seized at a moment's notice, while the rapidly deepen- 
ing gloom settling overhead was strangely lighted up 
by the flames of the little fires which had been kindled 
by the various groups. Salvator Rosa would have 
been delighted with such a scene ; the dark, waving 
trees illuminated by the flames, the many-hued faces 
of the men, moving about or resting, and the general 
abandon of their postures, gave us very much the ap- 
pearance of ferocious bandits. As the men were not 
by any means encumbered with provisions, and we 
should be obliged next day to halt in a forest where 
nothing could be procured, a detachment was sent out 
to cut cane in a field close by, and try if fortune would 
not direct them to a good boniato plot. The sugar- 
cane was plenty, but unfortunately the sweet potatoes 
proved to be rather scarce, so provisions for the next 
day's march were somewhat scanty ; but as the Mambi 
have become accustomed to the frowns of fortune, this 
little disappointment did not cause any particular low- 
ness of spirits. Long before the sun had risen we had 
resumed our march, and plunged into a wilderness of 
trees, twisted, tangled, and festooned with the ever- 
present parasites, whose seeds seem to flourish every- 
where. 

At intervals in the forest we came upon ruined huts, 
whose blackened timbers told too plainly the history 
of their desolation. These ruins had once been the 
homes of Cuban families who, at the beginning of the 
war, took refuge in these almost untrodden woods in 
hopes to escape the terrible scourge of war. For a 



IN SEARCH OF CESPEDES. 



207 



time they had dwelt in peace, forgotten even by their 
compatriots, until the hour of reverses came, and Val- 
maseda's bloodhounds, in their thirst for blood and 
plunder, unearthed the unfortunates, and gave their 
homes to the flames, and, too often, their persons to 
outrage and slaughter. It was impossible not to feel 
a chill on passing by these silent remains where once 
were peace, and love, and life, where now all is desola- 
tion and loneliness. Even the humble graves in the 
little clearing by the trail, marked by a rude cross 
which points out the last resting-place of the Cuban 
victims of war or of disease, whose ashes have been 
piously placed in a Mambi grave, are not so sadly sug- 
gestive of havoc and butchery as these charred tim- 
bers, piled confusedly one above another in utter 
shapelessness and ruin, while the tall grasses and the 
creeping plants hasten to cover up and hide from mor- 
tal eye the traces of man's violence and ruthlessness. 
Still plodding on through the endless, changeless 
woods, with ever the same foliage swaying overhead, 
and on either hand the countless stems, arid vines, and 
trunks of tall trees aspiring ambitiously to reach up 
and beyond the leafy fields that almost shut out the 
deep blue sk?es that seemed so far away in the endless, 
boundless space that spread away, vast as an eternity. 
Wonders enough, truly, were here in the leaves, and 
strange flowers, and giant trees, to have furnished food 
for a life of busy speculation ; but the unceasing tramp, 
tramp, tramp of the escort left no time to botanize, and 
the leaves, and trees, and flowers passed as in a pan- 
orama or a dream, just awakening curiosity, or wonder, 
or pleasure, and then disappearing as if movjd away 
by some invisible hand. There was only time to go 



208 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

onwards, and so the mind abandoned these fugitive 
beauties, and turned to the contemplation of the more 
melancholy incidents which the monotony of the way 
and the sad landmarks did not fail to call up. While 
in this humor my attention was suddenly called by one 
of the officers to a polished, grinning skull of unnat- 
ural whiteness that lay with some other bones of a 
human skeleton in our path. They were the sad re- 
mains of some Spanish soldier left unburied, a prey to 
the beasts of the forest, as a mark of the unquenchable 
hate of the people whom he came to subjugate. Poor 
fool ! the plaything of others' ambition, who, for the 
vain names of glory and country, had quit his weeping 
mother to die miserably in a foreign land, that a few 
conscienceless rich men might coin gold from the tears 
and blood of their fellow-man. 

Continuing our march ever through the woods, we 
came upon a spot, comparatively open, near the bed 
of a river, which, at this season, was almost dried up. 
Here we found a hut which had evidently been quite 
recently occupied, as the fire was still smouldering, 
but trace of human being there was none. Our guide, 
however, soon brought us to another hut, where we 
found two women. This was the dwelling of that im- 
portant functionary known as the prefect, who, we 
learned, had gone away the day before to guide a 
patriot battalion through the woods, but might be ex- 
pected back at any minute. In answer to the question 
if it were possible to obtain any food, the women as- 
sured us with some concern that none was to be had ; 
evidently fearful lest we should eat up the scanty pro- 
vision upon which they depended for existence. Had 
we been one or two, probably all hospitality would 



IN SEARCH OF CESPEDES. 209 

have been shown, but thirty or forty, we were looked 
on with much the kind of apprehension with which an 
Eastern would regard a swarm of locusts. However, 
we were by no means so hungry as the poor women 
imagined ; there was enough for supper, and we should 
be able to go through the form of breakfasting in the 
morning. No one would have taken any notice of the 
shortness of the commissariat stores if it had not been 
for my presence, as they could never get it into their 
heads that, on a push, a newspaper correspondent 
could rough it as well as they could. My chief grief 
was due to the coffee having given out after the first 
day, and we had to fall back on chocolate, which by 
no means replaced my favorite campaigning beverage. 
But this was, after all, a very small matter, as next 
morning we hoped to arrive at the headquarters of 
Calisto Garcia Ihiguez. 

The spot where we were halted was a favorite camp- 
ing-ground of the Cuban force; and among the trees 
were numbers of rude couches, constructed out of slen- 
der sticks, which such as are careful of their health go 
to the trouble of making in order to avoid lying on the 
damp, cold ground. When come upon suddenly these 
skeleton beds are too suggestive of coffins and biers 
to be pleasant to look upon. It may have been merely 
a personal fancy, but they always produced on me the 
effect of having stumbled on a necropolis in the wilder- 
ness. Their appearance is certainly very curious, and 
were it not for their long, coffin-like shape, being just 
made wide enough to accommodate comfortably one 
person, they might be taken for huge grils. Indeed, 
they are often used both as bed and gridiron, as the 
Mambi, when, fortunate enough to secure a large 



2IO THE MA MB I- LAND. 

supply of meat, cuts it in long strips, which he lays 
along one of these open-work couches, and, having 
lighted a fire underneath, he is enabled to smoke dry 
his meat so that it will keep for many days ; the green- 
ness of the sticks protects them from the flames. 

We had not been long in camp when an incident 
illustrative of the trials and sorrows of the Mambi life 
occurred most unexpectedly. Immediately on arrival, 
as was the usual custom, guards were placed on all the 
roads leading to the camp, and soon after one of the 
soldiers appeared conducting a young child by the 
hand who seemed half dead from terror, and wept as 
though his little heart would break. The soldier in- 
formed the major that soon after one of the sentries 
had taken his post his attention was aroused by a 
rustling in the woods, and that almost immediately he 
caught sight of this child, who, as soon as he perceived 
the sentry, endeavored to escape, but was captured 
after a little chase. It appeared, from what could be 
gathered from the little fellow, that he had been travel- 
ing in the forest with his mother, but somehow had 
lost her and could not find his way. When asked if 
he knew where any one lived in the forest, the child, 
thinking we were Spaniards, stoutly denied that he 
did. Poor child ! he was in mortal dread that he had 
fallen into the hands of Spaniards, an idea that my 
presence seemed to strengthen. Efforts to tranquillize 
him were of no avail, and though he accepted such 
small hospitality as we could offer him, he sat down 
in utter misery, refusing to be comforted. What a com- 
mentary the terror of this child, at the idea of having 
fallen into the hands of the Spaniards, furnished on 
the life of the non-combatants in Cuba Libre ! and how 



IN SEARCH OF CESPEDES. 2 II 

much constancy do not these people make proof of in 
their battle for freedom ! Some hours later the child's 
mother arrived in anguished search of the little lost 
one, and her joy at finding him safe and somewhat 
more resigned can be left to the imagination of the 
reader. Next day mother and child accompanied us 
to the camp of Calisto Garcia, marching, without 
apparent concern, some seven or eight pretty long 
leagues. 

Before setting out we made an attempt to procure 
something to eat by fowling, as our morning meal 
threatened to be reduced to a little more than a small 
cup of unsweetened chocolate and one or two sweet 
potatoes. As there was no shot, however, and the 
birds were almost invisible away up among the thickly- 
clustering leaves of giant trees, our chances of success 
were somewhat doubtful. One man was known to 
have his rifle loaded with rude slugs, and, as this was 
the nearest approach to shot, and our solitary chance 
of success, the rifle was handed over to an officer who 
had the reputation of being an excellent hunter. After 
s >n:e searching a pretty large bird good to eat was 
discovered, but far away up in the trees ; the officer 
fired, but, to my infinite disgust, the bird rose up and 
swept lazily away. There was only the desperate 
chance of shooting with a bullet left, and as it was 
against the laws for the soldiers to waste ammunition 
bird-shooting, I was allowed to try, and had also the 
great satisfaction of missing. 

We were now rapidly approaching the region of 
the Cauto, and the country became • quite level. 
After marching some leagues we struck a broad 
straight road through the forest, which had been 



212 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

at one time a caviino real, but was now overgrown 
with grass and weeds. It led directly into the camp 
of Calisto Garcia, which we entered without any 
trouble or ceremony. There was a guard outside the 
camp, at least there was a sentinel placed in the middle 
of the road, who stood still as a statue while we passed, 
gazing down the long vista of the road, and looking 
like nothing so much as a huge heron perched mo- 
tionless on one leg in the midst of sedgy grass. There 
may have been a guard somewhere, but it did not turn 
out as it ought to have done. This did not much sur- 
prise me, for the outpost service appeared to me to be 
performed by the Cuban army in a very lax manner. 
Having heard a good deal about surprises on both 
sides, my attention was naturally attracted to this im- 
portant question. It seemed to me that the over-con- 
fidence of the Cuban officers in their security is a 
source of constant danger to the Cuban cause. On 
more than one occasion the Spanish troops, them- 
selves exceedingly careless, have succeeded in surpris- 
ing Cuban forces in a country where all the advantages 
were against them, and where the most ordinary pre- 
cautions should have rendered surprise impossible. 
On one occasion, permission to visit the outposts to 
see how the service was performed was given to me, 
but the visit was postponed for a few hours, and when 
the rounds were made it was clear to me that the out- 
posts had been organized in the interval, in order to 
conceal the negligent way in which this most impor- 
tant duty is performed. Many of the men I recognized 
as having been on parade a short time before my visit 
to the outposts, and the same men were back in camp 
not long after. This proved to me beyond doubt that 



IN SEARCH OF CES 'PEDES. 2 I3 

an effort had been made to impose on me. However, 
in these matters it is not so easy to deceive an old 
soldier. This absence of proper vigilance is full of 
danger, and if one day the Cuban cause receives a 
crushing blow, it will be due, in all probability, to the 
want of proper precautions against surprise. 



CHAPTER XV. 



ON THE WAR PATH. 



Calisto Garcia's Camp — Meeting with Generals Gomez and Calisto 
Garcia — The Arrival of Troops in Camp— Colonel Peralta wounded — 
Cuban Congressmen — The Baile in Cuba Libre — The Voudou Dance 
— March to Canadon — Provoking the Spaniards — Fatal Reconnois- 
sance — Destruction of Potreros — Battle of Jiguani — After the Battle 
— Borne back on his Shield — Visit to the Field-Hospital — Carrying 
off the Wounded — El Silencioso — The Spanish Wounded. 

The camp of Calisto Garcia, at Dos Bocas, occupied 
a rectangular opening in the woods. It consisted of a 
number of leaf-thatched huts, forming regular streets, 
and scrupulously aligned. In the centre there were 
open spaces in which banana-trees were cultivated. 
Altogether, there was evidence of effort after order, 
and a camp-marshal saw that cleanliness was main- 
tained, at least within the camp. So much cannot be 
said for the outskirts, which were in a state of filth 
impossible to describe, from the habit of throwing 
offal and garbage among the bushes, where it became 
rapidly decomposed, and filled the air with poisonous 
effluvia which must have been very injurious to health. 
If a large number of troops had been kept in this 
camp for any length of time, sickness would undoubt- 
edly have made its appearance. Fortunately, at the 
time of my arrival, not more than a few hundred men 
were encamped ; and, as the forces came in very 
rapidly, it was not necessary to delay long in this 
festering place. 
214 



ON THE WAR PATH. 



21$ 



General Garcia was not in camp when I arrived ; he 
did not expect me, as some days before he dispatched 
an escort of twenty riflcros, or men armed with breech- 
loaders, to Cambute, to convey me to headquarters. 
In the mean time, however, I had left the encamp- 
ment of Tempii, accompanied by Commandante Vega 
and some thirty of his battalion, and, having taken a 
different route, missed the rifieros. General Maximo 
Gomez and General Calvar were at the headquarters 
when I arrived, and received me in the absence of the 
general commanding the troops, who soon after rode 
in from a reconnoissance. He expressed satisfaction 
at my safe arrival in the Cuban lines, where, for some 
time, my coming had been looked for. General Calisto 
Garcia Ifiiguez is a young man, rather tall, and very 
slightly built. He is thirty-three years of age, and, 
though his hair is prematurely tinged with gray, 
scarcely appears so old. In his manner he is affable, 
and not wanting in grace and even a certain distin- 
guished air. He speaks rapidly, and at times impera- 
tively. In character, he is nervous, energetic, and 
astute, and evidently possesses the properties of mind 
necessary for a leader in the peculiar class of war 
waged by the Cubans. Like the majority of the 
Cuban officers, he has not had the advantage of a 
military education, and knows little about the science 
of war, except what he has learned from experience 
during the six years' struggle for independence. The 
fundamental principles of guerrilla warfare are well 
understood by the Cuban officers, thanks to the in- 
struction of two Dominicans, Generals Gomez and 
Diaz. 

General Gomez, who now commands in the Central 



2i6 TIIE MAMBI-LAND. 

Department, is a war-worn soldier, brave, energetic, 
and of a character of iron. He is, however, wanting 
in the higher education of an officer, and he has appar- 
ently received a general education less broad than his 
pupil, Calisto Garcia. He has, however, the advan- 
tage of a very long experience of war, and a thorough 
practical knowledge of irregular warfare. In great 
part the successful resistance of the Cubans during the 
first years of the war was due to the constancy and 
unwavering resolution of Diaz and Gomez, and what- 
ever may be the final issue of the struggle, these two 
men must occupy a prominent position in the history 
of Cuba. The news of the establishment of the re- 
public in Spain, which was brought by me, created a 
good deal of interest, and was the chief topic of dis- 
cussion during the day. There seemed to be a very 
general agreement of opinion that it would be of short 
duration, and would share the fate of most other Span- 
ish governments, after a more or less prolonged 
struggle. As I was anxious to know how the change 
of form of government was likely to affect the conduct 
of the insurgent leaders, I asked General Garcia 
whether, in the event of the definite establishment of 
the republic in Spain, the insurgents would be content 
to allow Cuba to remain an integral portion of the 
Spanish dominions. To this the general replied, 
" The well-known instability of Spanish governments 
gives us no guarantee that the republic, even if defi- 
nitely established, would exist for any length of time. 
The same insubordinate spirit that has overthrown the 
government of Amadeus to-day may upset the repub- 
lic next month. We might accept the republic to-day; 
but who will say that before many weeks we might 



ON THE WAR PATH. 2 l? 

not be called upon to recognize Alfonso, or the reac- 
tionary Don Carlos, or the representative of some other 
form of monarchical government? If we remain a part 
of the Spanish dominions, we must accept every revolu- 
tionary change, however reactionary it may be ; must 
be subject to constant variations of policy, and the 
general want of confidence which results from them. 
We do not wish this. We are too far separated from 
Spain by distance and by interests to submit to be 
dragged after her in the ever-recurring conspiracies and 
revolutions by which her government is marked. We 
desire to be independent, but, if this is impossible, we 
wish to attach ourselves to some strong government 
that will be able to guarantee to us liberty and order, 
so that we may develop in peace the resources of our 
country. But, above all things, we desire first to 
achieve independence ; and I believe I express the 
opinion of the immense majority of the Cubans who 
have arms in their hands when I say that all recon- 
ciliation with Spain is impossible, except on the basis 
of independence. The only terms we have to offer 
are, that the Spaniards shall go away and leave Cuba 
to take care of its own future. It appears to me that 
there exists a large party in favor of annexation to the 
United States. In the Central Department the annexa- 
tionists have always been very strong, but in the 
Eastern Department the main idea has been inde- 
pendence. In the beginning of the war the English 
sympathized with us a good deal, and even afforded 
us some slight aid. They suggested the formation of 
a confederation of the Antilles, and were strongly op- 
posed to the idea of annexation. Indeed, they warned 
us strongly against thinking of it, and hopes were held 

19 



2i8 THE MAMBI-LAXD. 

out that England would abandon Jamaica, as she had 
abandoned the Ionian Islands, in order to facilitate the 
formation of the confederation of the Antilles. 

" In the Eastern Department this project has been 
received with most favor, especially on account of the 
manner in which the United States has acted toward 
us during our struggle for independence. Many of 
the strongest annexationists have become disgusted. 
However, we are all pretty well agreed that before 
adopting any project for the future it is necessary to 
achieve our independence." 

These views were accepted with slight modifications 
by those present, and, though I conversed with all the 
prominent and a large number of the subordinate 
officers, not one man was willing to accept a recon- 
ciliation with Spain on the condition of Cuba remain- 
ing an integral part of the Spanish dominion. Rather 
than do so, it seemed to be generally resolved to con- 
tinue the war until the Cubans or the Spaniards were 
exterminated. 

General Garcia informed me that he was about to 
undertake some operations of importance, and as there 
was reason to fear that President Cespedes had set out 
on a projected visit to another district, it was agreed 
that a special messenger should be sent to him, ad- 
vising him of my safe arrival, and requesting that he 
would indicate a point where I would be certain to 
meet him. 

At the time of my arrival at the headquarters of 
General Garcia, who had lately been raised to the 
rank of major-general commanding the Eastern De- 
partment, there were not more than two hundred armed 
men in camp. But the troops were concentrating, and 



ON THE WAR PATH. 



219 



within a few days detachments were expected to arrive 
from the forces of Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, and 
Jiguani, which with Guantanamo constitute the com- 
mand of Cali.-to Garcia Iniguez. Among the more 
distinguished Cuban officers at the camp of General 
Garcia were Ignacio Mora, ex-secretary of state, Col- 
onel Bartolome Maso, ex-secretary of war, Brigadier- 
General Feliz Figueredo, chief of the medical staff, 
Brigadier-General Manuel Calvar (Holguin), Colonel 
Leonardo del Marmol (Guantanamo), Major Pedro 
Martinez Freire, Colonel Manuel Sanguilly, a member 
of the Cuban Congress and brother to the celebrated 
cavalry general of Camarguey, Major Rios, a native 
of Porto Rico, attached to General Garcia's staff, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Guerra, a Mexican officer, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Saladriguez (Jiguani), Lieutenant-Colonel 
Limbano Sanchez, and General Maximo Gomez, who 
succeeded to the command of the Central Department 
after the death of Agramonte. 

On the 1st of March the last detachment of troops 
arrived, under the command of Colonel Peralta, a 
brother of General Peralta, who perished in one of the 
ill-fated Cuban expeditions. The colonel had been 
wounded on the road, and was obliged to be carried 
in an improvised hammock. His battalion consisted 
of over two hundred men, more than half of whom, in 
addition to the convoyeros, were unarmed. In the 
evening a general review of the troops was held, when 
over four hundred men appeared on parade. About 
one-third of the whole number were armed with 
breech-loading rifles, the others with Springfield and 
Enfield muzzle-loading rifles. Some of the battalions 
looked tolerably decent, while others were in a fright- 



220 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

fully ragged condition. Falstaff's army of ragamuffins 
presented a respectable appearance in comparison, at 
least so far as the clothes were concerned. Measured 
by the standard of my expectations, the force was well 
clothed and equipped ; for the Spanish officers had 
told me so many stories of the wretched condition of 
the Cubans that I expected to find soldiers and offi- 
cers in uniforms closely resembling that of our first 
parents on leaving Paradise. This was far from being 
true ; all the officers were well dressed, and some even 
tastefully. There was no attempt at uniformity, but 
nearly all were scrupulously clean. The doubtful ex- 
ceptions being among the colored officers. In the 
ranks there was, more diversity, and many of the 
soldiers were not alone ragged, but very nearly naked. 
One strapping brown man struck my imagination as 
the impersonation of heroic patriotism. His costume 
consisted of the rim of a straw hat, through which ap- 
peared the crown of a woolly head, and something re- 
sembling a ragged and scanty dishcloth was bound 
around his loins. A rifle and a cartouchiere completed 
this patriot's equipment. To the eye accustomed to 
the neatness and order of regular troops it would have 
been impossible to present a more ridiculous sight than 
that varied line of armed men. It was with difficulty 
I repressed a smile as I walked down the line ; but 
though to the eye the scene was grotesque, to the im- 
agination and to the intellect it was sublime. Shoe- 
less, blanketless, in many cases without coats, often 
with a piece of ragged linen doing service as a uni- 
form, these men support the hardships and fatigues of 
an unequal struggle with a patience and courage that 
have seldom been equaled and never excelled. If we 



ON THE WAR PATH. 221 

would respect the Cuban character we must see it 
here in the camps. Between the men in the field and 
the effeminate race of the towns there is a separation 
so wide and so distinct that it is difficult to believe 
they are of the same blood. Yet they assured me that 
the change has been made in the war. About one- 
third of the fighting men are white, and the majority 
of the other two-thirds are of color other than black, 
all shades of brown predominating. There were some 
half-dozen Chinamen, one of whom acted as aid sur- 
geon. The most perfect equality exists between the 
white and colored races, the officers taking precedence 
by rank, and although the majority of the officers are 
white, a very large proportion are colored. 

In order to avoid repetitions, many phases of life in 
Cuba Libre, common to all camps, are simply treated 
as incidents occurring at particular places where they 
assumed most importance. One of the most striking 
features of the Cuban character, whether seen under 
the shadow of Spanish rule, repressed and sullen, or 
abandoned to the wildest impulse in Mambi-Land, is 
the passion for dancing. The baile appears to be the 
one absorbing passion of the Cuban soul. Sufferings, 
fatigues, dangers, are all forgotten. The dormant en- 
ergy of the Creole is aroused, and both sexes seem 
absorbed in a passionate joy while moving to the 
dreary, sensuous measures of the native danza, that 
resembles in some sort the craze of the opium-eater. 
Wherever the encampment is established for even a 
few days this passion must be satisfied. The families 
scattered about in the woods seem to know by instinct 
when a long halt is to be made, and crowd in to meet 
parents, husbands, and lovers. The commander of the 

i 9 ■■■ 



222 



THE MAMBI-LAXD. 



forces immediately organizes the baile, and while the 
troops remain dancing takes place nightly, and is kept 
up with spirit until the warning silencio is sounded 
through the camp, when, as if by magic, the music 
and the hum of voices cease, and the pattering steps 
of the revelers can be heard with painful distinctness 
making their way to their quarters. Perhaps nothing 
is more remarkable than the absolute obedience with 
which men and women, who have worked themselves 
into something like a dancing frenzy, cease from this 
amusement as soon as the silencio sounds, and disperse 
as quietly as if a fire-engine had begun to play on 
them. In all the fixed camps this custom is observed, 
but in Calisto Garcia's camp, on account of its extent, 
and the possession of a brass-band, the baile was pecu- 
liarly imposing. The brass instruments had been 
captured from the Spaniards, and therefore both the 
general and soldiers took pride and delight in dancing 
to a music that constantly reminded them of victory. 

As these bailes take place at night by the glare of 
tapers, and the costumes of the assistants are very 
varied, if not very brilliant, the scene presented is full 
of picturesque effect, which is heightened by the bar- 
baric character of the music. Although the soldiers 
are allowed to be present, they are not permitted to 
dance in the same baile with the officers. In some 
camps different nights are set apart. There is, how- 
ever, no distinction of color made, all officers being at 
liberty to dance. Owing doubtless to the extent of 
the camp, the arrangements at Dos Bocas were some- 
what different, officers and soldiers dancing at the 
same time, but separated. The ball rooms consisted 
simply of level pieces of ground, round which some 



ON THE WAR PATH. 2 2X 

rude seats had been constructed, and outside these the 
on-lookers were grouped, while the band blew away 
lustily, and dancers whirled merrily about in the half- 
gloom, their faces from time to time lighted up by the 
red flare of beeswax tapers, supported by grinning, 
human candlesticks. 

Not very far from where the officers were assembled, 
another group of dancers challenged my attention. If 
the officers were picturesque, these latter were weird 
and well-nigh savage. It required an effort, looking on 
the sight, to convince one's self that the spot where he 
stood was in America, and not in the African jungle. 
A group of black men were gathered around some 
dancers, who moved about with strange, uncouth 
motions to the monotonous chant of musicians, who 
seconded their vocal efforts with loud clapping of 
hands ; and as the dancers moved steadily about to the 
savage chant the enthusiasm of the spectators seemed 
to grow uncontrollable, until they gave vent to their 
feelings in loud yah, yahs ! and clapping of hands, and 
uncouth laughter, as if the ceremony or dance called 
up some remembrance of intense pleasure. This was 
the Voudou dance, a religious ceremony, kept up by 
the African blacks, but whose import none could ex- 
plain to me. The assistants were all as black as the ace 
of spades, and while looking at them one could easily 
imagine the Evil One broke loose and enjoying him- 
self in an infernal orgie. Most of the colored people 
turned up their noses at this ceremonial dance, and 
pretty freely characterized the people who took part in 
it as savages, — barbaros ; but, except for its uncouth- 
ness, there was nothing offensive or repulsive, if we 
omit its utter stupidity. 



224 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



On the 3d of March General Garcia broke camp, 
and marched in a westerly direction through a wild 
and deserted country, more level than usual, and pre- 
senting at intervals savannas of considerable extent. 
The heat passing through the tall Guinea-grass 
was suffocating, and was aggravated by the absence 
of drinkable water. With the exception of one 
small stream, we had to depend for our supply on a 
few wells, the quality of the water being detestable, 
having in some cases been poisoned by the Spaniards. 
In one the half-decomposed body of a man was 
visible. 

In the afternoon we halted at a wooded hill called 
Cahadon, about four miles from Jiguani, a town of 
some importance, where we took up a position and pre- 
pared to give battle. In front of this hill there is a large 
open space, or glade, surrounded on all sides by woods, 
through which the road from Jiguani to Dos Bocas 
passes. The forces under General Garcia occupied 
the Hill of Canadon, with the flanks resting in the 
woods on either sides commanding the road. In 
order to strengthen the position the timber on the face 
of a considerable portion of the hill was felled, and a 
slight parapet erected at the head of the clearing. I 
was informed by General Garcia that the motive for 
this preparation was his intention to provoke the 
Spanish forces to battle, in the hope that they would 
attack him in this advantageous position. When we 
left the encampment of Dos Bocas in the morning 
the force mustered five hundred and twenty armed 
men. We were afterwards joined by three companies 
of the forces of General Calvar, which numbered about 
one hundred men. I do not know if there were other 



OX THE WAR PATH. 



22? 



troops ; but it appeared to me there were some seven 
hundred armed men on the ground, in addition to 
some four or five hundred convoyeros, who were un- 
armed. As it was expected the Spanish troops would 
attack the position, the officers of the staff were anxious 
to put down the fighting strength of the Cuban forces to 
its lowest figure, and they admitted there were present 
over six hundred men. In the night a force of about 
one hundred and thirty men was sent on a reconnois- 
sance to Jiguani, with orders to fire on the soldiers, in 
order to induce them to pursue the party. When the 
Cuban detachment arrived everything was as still as 
death in the town. A scout was sent forward twice, and 
he reported the houses abandoned as far as the trinclicra, 
or fortifications. Although this circumstance was very 
suspicious, the detachment commanded by Lieutenant- 
Colonel Saladriguez entered the town in three divisions, 
and arrived close to the barricades occupied by the 
Spaniards. As the Cuban troops entered, the Spanish 
soldiers were crying the alerta, and nothing transpired 
to indicate that they were aware of the presence of 
the Cubans until the sentinels on the barricade chal- 
lenged the advancing parties. Not receiving a satis- 
factory reply, the guards f red with d adly eff ct, 
especially on one division that, disobeying orders, 
had advanced too close to the barricade. The Cubans 
replied with a volley, and retreated rapidly, carrying 
off their dead and wounded. When the divisions re- 
united, it was found that two men had been killed 
and eight wounded, two of the latter mortally. The 
only compensation for this severe loss was a few 
articles of clothing found in the deserted houses. 
This check seemed in no way to dampen the spirits 



225 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

of the troops, and the hope was constantly expressed 
that the garrison would be encouraged by their success 
to pursue the party. In this the Cubans were fated to 
be disappointed, as, owing either to the smallness of 
the garrison, or a knowledge of the design of the 
Cuban generals, the Spaniards contented themselves 
with sending out a small reconnoitring party, that 
did not venture to approach the position, but, having 
noticed the trail, returned to the town. Next day a 
detachment was sent to kill cattle in a potrero, or cattle- 
farm, close to the town, a service they accomplished 
without interruption. It was evident from this circum- 
stance that the Spaniards would not come out to attack 
the position of Canadon ; so a force of some three hun- 
dred armed men and about one hundred and fifty con- 
voyeros and servants were sent to complete the destruc- 
tion of the cattle-farm, with instructions to carry off as 
many of the cattle as they could catch, and in any case to 
kill as many as possible of the animals, so as to deprive 
the town of its chief means of support. These orders 
were faithfully carried out by Colonel Sanchez and the 
troops under his command. By half-past eight the 
potrero was in flames for a distance of a league, and 
the cattle either dead or driven into the woods. 1 he 
soldiers and the unarmed men were laden with the 
meat, and orders were given to form a line of march 
to return to the encampment. At the entrance of the 
potrero the road is slightly depressed, and a wood ex- 
tending in the direction of the town forms a semicircle 
commanding completely the outlet. The Cuban forces 
had reached this point when their bugles sounded 
silence. Scarcely had the sound died away when a 
volley was delivered from a Spanish ambuscade dis- 



ON THE WAR PATH. 



227 



tributed in three divisions. By a miracle no one was 
touched, and the colonel, dismounting, ordered the 
men to advance. In a moment the sacks of meat fell 
to the ground, and a rapid and well-sustained fire was 
opened on the Spanish ambuscade. It was the soldiers' 
turn now to be surprised, for the Cubans possessed 
plenty of ammunition, and were confident in their 
numbers. The Spanish forces did not number over 
one hundred and fifty, and by a strange freak of for- 
tune their three buglers had been shot, one after 
another, as soon as they sounded an order. Notwith- 
standing the disparity of the forces, the Spaniards 
fought with valor and tenacity, as they always fight, but 
were obliged to give way before superior numbers. A 
movement of retreat in the face of a Cuban force is dis- 
astrous. The moment the Cubans perceived that the 
Spaniards were retreating, they advanced with a rush, 
and the defeat was turned into a rout. Then the 
horrors of the situation were developed. The Spanish 
soldiers, lost in the darkness, fell an easy prey to their 
enemies. So dark was the night that it was necessary 
to inquire whether the person encountered was an 
enemy or a friend before striking. This did not last 
long ; for what remained of the Spanish troops were 
in full flight for the town, which, fortunately for them, 
was close at hand. The most terrible and inhuman 
feature of this awful warfare was, fortunately, hidden 
by the dark cloak of night. The wounded Spaniards 
crawled into the woods to save themselves from the 
vengeance of their foes. Here the Cubans followed 
them, groping in the dark, and listening for the sigh 
or groan of the wretched men to direct them to where 
the helpless wounded lay. In most cases the unfor- 



228 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

tunates were- discovered, and the deadly machete 
finished the work of the rifle. 

"Ave Maria, me van Matar!" exclaimed one poor 
fellow as the heavy machete cut his cord of life, and 
the appeals for mercy of the helpless were the more 
heart-rending that they were made to ears that were 
deaf and to hearts steeled by the bloody memories of 
five years of war to the death. 

The material results of the victory consisted in three 
bugles, seventeen rifles, the boots, clothes, and other 
effects of the slain, and the sentiment that the men who 
had fallen a few nights before were amply avenged. 
The loss of the Spaniards in dead was estimated at 
twenty-five killed on the spot, and thirty wounded in 
the retreat, who had not been discovered in the dark- 
ness of the night, or, owing to the proximity of the 
town, had escaped. The Cuban loss was one officer 
killed, two wounded, and six soldiers wounded. 

The night was black, with the damp chill that heavy 
rain just ceased leaves in the atmosphere, when a sud- 
den commotion close to my hammock aroused me. 
General Garcia was swung up a few feet from where 
my cot was suspended, and as my eyes opened I be- 
came conscious that some one was speaking to him 
excitedly. " Tres cornetas " were the first words I heard 
consciously. They were sufficient to wake me thor- 
oughly. The man whose conversation had disturbed 
my slumbers was a messenger from Colonel Sanchez, 
informing the general of his victory over the contra- 
guerrilla of Bailen, that had long been a scourge to 
the patriots of Jiguani. Being anxious to hear for 
myself this man's report, I did not move until he 
ceased talking, when I sat up and asked General Gar- 



ON THE WAR PATH. 2 2Q 

cia what had happened. He repeated what the soldier 
had reported to him. At this moment the bugles of 
the returning force were heard, ringing through the 
night notes of defiance and victory. The news of the 
victory had already began to spread through the camp, 
and the bugles brought every one to his feet to wel- 
come the victors. Lights began to flit through the 
trees, until the wood became perfectly illuminated, and 
the men passing about through the trees with lighted 
tapers looked like a swarm of huge glow-worms. 
Dressing quickly, I descended the slippery hill to see 
how the men looked after the fight, and discover from 
personal observation the number of the wounded. 

The scene presented below was most impressive, and 
full of a martial grandeur no mere words can convey. 
As the troops arrived they filed away at once to where 
their companions were stationed, and they could be 
seen moving off surrounded by groups of comrades 
eagerly listening to the story of the fight, of which 
every particular soldier, in his own estimation, was the 
hero. My attention, however, was attracted by a sad- 
der sight. The train of wounded men were beginning 
to ascend the hill to the hospital, which was placed in 
rear of the position. A few were able to walk, and 
one black officer, wounded in the thigh, was mounted 
on the only horse that returned from the fight. The 
poor fellow looked awfully pale, but uttered no word 
of complaint. The figure, however, that impressed 
itself on my mind most deeply, and excited my admi- 
ration by a character of Roman fortitude, was young 
Pedro Vasquez, captain and adjutant in one of the bat- 
talions. Poor fellow! he was little more than a boy 

in years, though in service a veteran, and now he was 

20 



230 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



carried by me lying on a rude litter borne by four stal- 
wart soldiers, struck down, it was feared fatally, with 
the third wound received in the struggle for freedom. 
The pain he suffered must have been intense, for he 
was shot in the thigh so close to the bone that it was 
feared the bone was shattered ; but though the face 
was rigid with pain he uttered no word, but half sat 
up on the litter, leaning on his elbow, and looking 
quietly and composedly on the scene. No Roman 
warrior borne from battle on his shield ever showed a 
nobler or more truly heroic courage than this Cuban 
boy, who smiled at the cheering words of comfort spoken 
softly to him by men who feared to trust too much 
their voices. Only seven or eight 'men were so seri- 
ously wounded as to be considered hors de combat, 
though several had wonderfully narrow escapes of 
being sent out of this world, and yet the actual wounds 
received were so slight as not to be thought worthy of 
treatment. 

The convoy of wounded moved up the slippery hill, 
winding in and out through the trees in search of the 
nearest and smoothest path, directed by the waving 
torch-lights and the shouts of the guides, presenting 
a scene full of gloomy grandeur well in keeping with 
the glorious, sad occasion. The night, black and 
gloomy as the fight against fearful odds; the flashing 
torch-lights, like the gleams of victory that cheer the 
patriot in a seemingly hopeless struggle. One by one 
the lights were extinguished among the trees, and the 
victors weary of their toils sunk to rest, and the glory 
and the triumph were forgotten ; not so the pain, for 
high up on the reverse slope of the hill the fevered 
wounded tossed in agony, or, stunned by their hurt, 



ON THE WAR PATH. 23 1 

lay in half conscious pain until returning life should 
give them knowledge of their misfortune. With such 
means as they possessed, the doctors tried to soothe 
the pain of sufferers ; but, unfortunately, there was 
wanting many a necessary drug to dull the mangled 
nerve, and induce unwilling sleep to the anguished 
brow. The sight of the wounded and the slain after 
a battle has ever been to me a hideous and repulsive 
sight, and I have never entered a military hospital, 
where freshly-wounded men were stationed, without 
feeling sick and faint. Nothing but an absolute sense 
of duty would induce me to visit one of these charnel- 
houses. It was therefore with much reluctance I went 
as soon as there was light to see how the poor fellows 
who had been wounded were situated. One splendid- 
looking black man, whose arm had been shattered 
near the shoulder, had succumbed, and some of the 
others were so seriously wounded that but little hope 
was entertained for their recovery. These had sunk 
into a lethargic state from which they might never 
wake up. Others, whose hurts were not so severe, 
gave vent to their agony in suppressed groans. For- 
tunately, the sufferers were not many, and nothing 
that could be done to assuage their pain was neglected 
by the medical officers, a band of gentlemen whose 
noble devotion to the cause of humanity has never 
been excelled. Unfortunately, the medical staff is not 
nearly so numerous as it ought to be, a fact which 
reflects infinite discredit on the numerous Cuban 
doctors who are content with giving lip-sympathy to 
their heroic countrymen. Owing also to the scarcity 
of medical stores, the doctors are obliged to economize 
even the most necessary drugs, thereby causing in- 



232 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



creased suffering of the wounded. If ever there was 
a case when the red cross should come to the aid of 
suffering humanity, such a case exists in Cuba. 

Preparations were being made to transfer the 
wounded to a place of safety when I visited the tem- 
porary hospital ; the way in which this is done is 
simple and effective : the wounded are placed in a 
hammock which is suspended from a long pole, and 
four men are detailed in two reliefs to carry each man, 
the bearers relieving each other at intervals. In addi- 
tion to the bearers a guard accompanies the convoy 
to the hospital, and opens the way so that the wounded 
can pass without difficulty. For motives of safety the 
hospitals are placed in the very deepest recesses of the 
forest, the pa i s being known only to the most devoted 
guides. It is astonishing with what rapidity the 
wounded are removed, considering the very primitive 
means available for this service ; but even in the hours 
of defeat and untiring pursuit, there is scarcely an 
instance on record in which a wounded man once in 
the hands of the carriers has been taken by the 
enemy. 

Indeed, in nothing do the Cubans differ more widely 
from their opponents than in the care given to their 
wounded and the efforts they make to prevent a dis- 
abled man falling into the hands of the Spaniards. 
No matter how hard pressed the Mambis may be, the 
moment a man falls he is seized by his comrades, and 
removed to the rear ; and so certain is this that the 
Cuban soldier is absolutely convinced that while he 
breathes he will never be abandoned by his comrades. 
It is owing to this system that even when defeated no 
wounded prisoners fall into the enemy's hands, though 



ON THE WAR PATH. oxx 

■'JO 

the dead are abandoned without much compunction 
when matters are looking very serious, but the soldiers 
must be fully convinced that their comrade is beyond 
earthly help before they consent to abandon him. It 
sometimes happens that the pursuit is carried on with 
terrible earnestness, and that the pursuers and pursued 
are scarcely separated by fifty yards of wood, often 
even less. The unfortunate who is so badly hit under 
these circumstances as to be unable to continue the 
retreat suffers terribly, but even then is not abandoned. 
The two nearest comrades seize him, one by each arm, 
and, having first secured his rifle, drag him " arrc- 
straiflo" along the ground at a rush, through bush and 
brier, until he is removed beyond range, where he is 
handed over to the convoyeros, or carriers, and receives 
such hurried care as the nature of the case will admit. 
Under this rude treatment it often happens that the 
unfortunate succumbs, and, unless so fortunate as to 
be insensible, must in all cases suffer intensely ; but it 
is a chance for life, and, though a rough kindness, still, 
it is a kindness, and often preserves life. It must be kept 
well in mind that in this war no quarter is given, how- 
ever much hypocritical authorities may try to impose on 
the credulity of mankind by lying orders and assertions. 
Even where orders to extend quarter to prisoners are 
given they are never carried out, nor is it intended 
that they should be, but only that these living lies can 
be used as offering proof of humane intentions that 
never had any existence. The wounded found on the 
field or in the hospital are butchered without mercy. 
This is a fact that not all the lying documents in the 
archives can alter, or efface ; it is written too deeply in 
blood-stains that cannot be washed out. Neither will 



'■34 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



the honest, straightforward soldiers deny it, but only 
the lying, sneaking autoridades, who make profession 
of humanity and generosity in public, but who urge 
in secret the most inflexible severity. "Kill and say 
nothing about it" is their maxim, and they carefully 
abstain from inquiring too closely whether the condi- 
tions of their hypocritical proclamations have been put 
in force. This is why the disabled Cuban prefers to 
be dragged through the brambles, and over the rough 
ground full of thorns and protruding stumps of rotted 
trees, with mangled limb and cracking bone, to being 
left in the power of an implacable enemy. Oftentimes 
in these fearful courses, these rushes for life, the arms 
are wrenched from the sockets, or the bones snap un- 
heeded, in the fierce hurry of flight, and when at last 
the line of fire is passed, and the men bend down to 
care more tenderly for their wounded comrade, he 
responds not to their call ; the body is saved but the 
soul has fled. Strong constitutions, however, resist 
even this rough treatment. One of Calisto Garcia's 
officers, a splendid-looking man, showed me where he 
had been dragged from out a line of fire when the 
Spaniards were so close that they could almost touch 
him with their bayonets. But his men would not 
desert him, and in their terrible haste they broke both 
his arms above the elbow dragging him to a place of 
safety. And, though he had already received a severe 
wound in the thigh, with good care and strong con- 
stitution he recovered, and was fighting away again as 
sound as a bell when I made his acquaintance. 

The Spaniards, on the other hand, notwithstanding 
their immensely superior resources, constantly aban- 
don their wounded. So long as they are successful, 



ON THE WAR PATH. 235 

provision, more or less adequate, is made for them ; 
but in the moment of defeat they are shamefully left 
to the machete of their foes, who show them scant 
mercy. One would imagine that the " illustrious 
swords" of the Spanish nation would display at least 
as much heroism and devotion to their comrades as 
those despised negros sueltos, or "runaway niggers," 
as they politely call the inhabitants of the manigua, 
and would, like them, risk life and limb to save the 
wounded. 

But no! these chivalrous caballeros the moment they 
find themselves in danger think only of saving their 
worthless selves, and abandon wounded friends and 
comrades to the mercy of Providence. Unfortunately, 
those good-natured old gods who used to succor dis- 
tressed heroes have been ousted by more intellectual 
and selfish successors, who content themselves with 
roasting in the next world such unhappy mortals 
as have not conducted themselves according to their 
strait-laced and somewhat gloomy notions in this. For 
want of the favoring cloud, or ready aegide, the Mambi 
machete cleaves through upraised, imploring hand, 
merciless as fate, and pours out Castilian life-streams 
to fertilize the wasted Cuban fields. The heavy com- 
parative loss of the Spaniards in dead in the Cuban 
struggle is rrainly owing to the cowardly abandonment 
of the wounded. Every one who is at all acquainted 
with military matters knows that the proportion of 
wounded to killed in battle is very large, even where 
artillery causes large losses. In Cuba the proportion 
of wounded is larger than in European battles, owing 
to the bodies of the men being generally covered by 
trees, and injuries from artillery almost unknown. As 



236 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

the Cubans carry off, in nearly every case, as one can 
see by even the Spanish reports, their wounded, 
though sometimes adopting the rude mode already 
described, their loss consists only of the men actually 
killed from the chances of battle, and a percentage of 
wounded somewhat larger than would occur if they 
possessed better hospital facilities, and, above all, better 
and more plentiful medical stores. The Spaniards 
being nearly always the attacking party have more 
men hit, and, as wounds are very fatal to foreigners in 
Cuba, their losses in dead are out of all proportion to 
the number of wounded. Add to this the slaughter 
of their disabled men when defeated, and the Spanish 
loss in dead will probably exceed anything known in 
modern war in proportion to the number of troops 
engaged. Crime brings its own punishment. The 
selfishness and cynicism of the Spanish commanders 
in abandoning their wounded when hard pressed re- 
acts on the Spanish soldier, who, awed by the silent 
forest, whose tangled recesses fill him with apprehen- 
sion, fears to plunge into the maze after an invisible 
enemy, lest he be lost, or find himself suddenly in the 
power of a concealed foe from whom he can expect no 
mercy. Usually, therefore, they huddle in the open 
spaces, where they become a target for a foe they feel 
but never see, so that at last they come to entertain an 
instinctive dread of the woods, and if checked in their 
advance are subject to panic. Once the danger of de- 
feat becomes evident, the knowledge that if wounded 
they will be abandoned to their fate makes every one 
anxious to get away as quickly as possible, and the 
result is that a check becomes a defeat, a rout, and a 
massacre, unless the way happens to be very clear, or 



ON THE WAR PATH. 



237 



refuge close at hand. Both at Jiguani, and in fights 
near Manzanillo, while I was a prisoner, the Spanish 
forces engaged fled from the scene of conflict in dis- 
graceful disorder. All discipline was forgotten, and 
had it not been for the proximity of fortified towns 
which afforded refuge, they would have perished to a 
man, cut up in detail, as they did in the battle of Palo 
Seco, where the Cubans killed two hundred men, with a 
loss to themselves of some twenty to thirty killed and 
wounded. 

The Cubans are fully aware of the importance of 
maintaining the confidence of their soldiers in their 
absolute security from falling into the hands of the 
Spaniards. In order to make duty more binding, 
they have established among the fighting men, under 
the title of "El Silencio" a secret society, or brother- 
hood, in fact, a kind of masonry, in which the in- 
itiated promise never to abandon a comrade, and to 
carry off the wounded, even should they fall amid 
the opposing ranks. This brotherhood has its rites 
and ceremonies, which, no doubt, are not without 
their effect on the rude, credulous minds of the sol- 
diers. At least so far the effect of this association 
has been very favorable, not alone in giving greater 
courage and sense of security to individuals, but also 
in strengthening the bonds between the patriots, and 
rendering possible a more rigorous discipline. During 
my stay among the Mambi, an instance of the value 
of the brotherhood occurred. In a skirmish between 
a small party of Modesto Diaz's forces and a strong 
party of Spaniards, the captain of the Cubans, who 
was a black man, rashly exposed himself, and was shot 
through the head, falling well-nigh among the ad- 



2 3 8 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



vancing Spaniards It was almost certain death to 
attempt to succor him, but nevertheless his brothers of 
the Silcncio would not leave him. Three men rushed 
out under fire, recovered the body and rifle, and carried 
both off. The officer was dead, but the body was car- 
ried some distance and hid in the bushes, as the pur- 
suit was being hotly pushed. Instances of devotion 
similar to this, and even more striking, are so frequent 
among the Cuban soldiers that they almost pass un- 
noticed, and if a tithe of the splendid actions per- 
formed by individuals during the obscure war were to 
be written down, there would be quite a Homeric 
story. The Mambis have maintained a struggle as 
glorious as the Suliote or Cretan wars against the 
Turk, and in all history there are no more gallant 
struggles than these, but modern society is such a 
sham that it can see nothing great in the struggle of a 
weak people holding out against fearful odds ; sacri- 
ficing fortune, family, and life ; perishing by sabre- 
stroke, and bullet, and fell disease ; seeing their wives 
and children hunted like beasts of the forest, sinking 
with fatigue and hunger, dying miserably in the savage 
woods ; and amid all their suffering and desolation re- 
maining unshaken in their resolve to conquer or to 
die. Yet all human history cannot furnish a greater 
example of heroic purpose. Thermopylae was but the 
passing effort of an hour, whereas the heroism of the 
Cubans has been constant, and displayed in a hundred 
fields. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

WITH CESPEDES. 

Message from Cespedes — March through the Mountains of Jiguani — 
The Camp at Rio Azul— Interview with Cespedes — His Views on 
the Revolution — Opinion of Castelar and of the Spanish Republic — 
Breakfast with Cespedes — Life at the White House in Cuba Libre — 
Sufferings of Cespedes and his Staff — I alarm the Cuban Camp — 
Offer to send me to Jamaica. 

The morning after the battle of Jiguani the Cubans 
quitted their encampment according" to custom, so that 
when the Spanish columns should concentrate to 
avenge their comrades they would find no one. While 
we were preparing to march, a messenger arrived from 
President Cespedes bearing letters in which he ex- 
pressed satisfaction at the arrival of the Herald com- 
missioner, and indicating a point where he could be 
met with, as fortunately he had not set out on his in- 
tended journey. Under these circumstances I took 
leave of General Garcia and the officers of his staff, 
and set out in search of the President, escorted by a 
battalion of infantry. Our first day's march lay through 
a level country, studded with Spanish camps, and at 
night we halted in a wood, about two miles from Baire. 
In our bivouac we could distinctly hear the bugle-calls 
of the Spanish garrison. Next day we had crossed 
the points considered most dangerous, and the battal- 
ion returned to join the forces of Calisto Garcia, 
leaving me in charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Benjamin 
Ramirez and an escort of fifteen men. 

239 



»40 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



Our route now lay through a frightfully gloomy 
country, the road passing through dense forests and 
over precipitous mountains. So dense were the woods 
that it was impossible to travel on horseback, and it 
was with the greatest difficulty and only by the con- 
stant use of the machete that a passage could be made 
for my horse. It is to me a marvel how the horse 
succeeded in passing here, for the road at times lay 
through heaped-up bowlders of limestone formation, 
over which I climbed with difficulty and not without 
suffering. The edges of the rocks were sharp as the 
points of chevaux-de-frise, and seemed to be placed by 
nature as an obstacle to advance in this silent and 
awful region, where the stillness was only broken by 
the dull chop of the machete or the monotonous note 
of some lonely bird. We had penetrated the moun- 
tain regions of Jiguani, and the sense of loneliness was 
absolutely oppressive. In the heart of these awful sol- 
itudes the government of Cuba Libre had chosen its 
temporary abode, for reasons of policy and safety. 
After passing through a succession of mountain-passes, 
sometimes presenting a continuous ascent for miles 
over frightful rocks, bleached and creviced by time, we 
arrived on the banks of the Rio Azul, through whose 
crystal waters can be counted the pebbles on the 
sand beneath. Rock and wood blend delightfully 
in the composition of a scene which combines the 
picturesquely savage with the softer sylvan beauties. 
At intervals the placid current of the transparent 
stream is broken by huge bowlders rising out of the 
bed of the river, forming irregular barriers, that seem 
to meditate stopping the flow of the water ; but a few 
yards farther the river moves on in peaceful grandeur, 



WITH CESPEDES. 



2.A,\ 



reflecting on its unruffled surface the majestic trees 
and banks. 

Continuing our journey, we passed through a forest 
wet, sad, and gloomy, strewn with dead and dying 
leaves, that produced a sentiment of depression and 
sadness on the mind, recalling too forcibly the with- 
ered hopes and shattered fortunes of the many thou- 
sands of gallant hearts that answered to the cry of 
freedom sent up at Yara. Like these leaves have per- 
ished thousands, and suffering and disease have already 
stamped with the seal of death hearts that were the 
light and hope of happy homes. These reflections 
were fortunately brought to a sudden close by the 
harsh challenge of a negro sentinel posted at some 
distance in the wood. He declined to take the word 
of the advance-guard as a sufficient assurance that 
they were Cubans and good patriots, and ordered the 
commander to advance. Colonel Ramirez was at once 
recognized, and, with the commissioner of the Herald, 
allowed to proceed to the camp where President Ces- 
pedes and members of his Cabinet had their head- 
quarters. 

The appearance of the residence of the government 
was certainly far from impressive for the strictly ma- 
terial mind. A narrow path through the forest led to 
a small clearing in the woods, in which were situated 
some twenty huts, constructed of pencas de manaca. 
The ground was encumbered with stumps of trees, 
and two tall, bare-looking trees, with scattered boughs 
and scant foliage, rising on either side of a very small 
rivulet which ran through the centre of the encamp- 
ment, increased the melancholy look of the place. 
On the farther side of the little rivulet a group of 

21 



242 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



young officers were waiting to receive me, among 
them the son of the President, Colonel Cespedes. As 
soon as the presentation of these gentlemen was over, 
I was informed they were sent to conduct me to the 
presence of the President. I followed them some dis- 
tance to a hut a little larger and somewhat more com- 
modious than its neighbors, but the difference could 
not excite discontent in the most envious mind. 

On entering, a small, well-built man, rather stout of 
body and below the middle height, rose to receive me. 
One of the officers said, " This is the President," and 
at the same time President Cespedes, advancing with 
hand extended, said very distinctly, in English, — 

" I am very glad to see you." 

I was frightfully tempted to try a little stage effect 
and leave a mot for posterity. In fact, like other peo- 
ple in similar circumstances, I had arranged in my 
own mind, while toiling over those sharp, pointed 
rocks, a very magnificent phrase ; but at the last mo- 
ment either my moral courage failed or my national 
modesty overcame me. I said nothing worthy of 
posterity, but simply expressed my satisfaction at see- 
ing President Cespedes well, and thanked him for the 
cordial reception he was pleased to extend me. 

President Cespedes was a small man with a good 
deal of iron in his composition, stood remarkably erect, 
and was nervous in action and in temperament. His 
features were small, with a claim to regularity. The 
forehead high and well formed ; the face oval and a 
little worn by time and care ; his eyes, gray with a 
tinge of brown, were bright and penetrating. His 
mouth and the lower part of his face being concealed 
by a moustache and beard of iron-gray, with a few 



WITH CESPEDES. 



243 



black hairs interspersed. When he smiled he showed 
his teeth, which were extremely white, and with one 
exception remarkably well preserved. 

As soon as the first exchange of courtesies was 
concluded the President introduced me to Sehor Miguel 
Bravo, Secretario de Guerra, and afterwards to the 
members of his staff. President Cespedes then re- 
quested me to be seated, pointing to a fixed stool made 
of rudely-planed laths, close to the table, on which 
were placed some pamphlets relative to the Cuban 
question, and a few copies of the Herald. A few books 
and bundles of papers were arranged in an orderly 
manner about the hut, which contained no furniture 
but a hammock, a table rudely constructed of sticks 
bound together by the majajita, a vegetable cord which 
abounds in the woods. A few valises were placed 
against the side of the hut, containing the presidential 
wardrobe. A revolver suspended from a belt of golden 
texture and a sixteen-shooting Winchester rifle com- 
pleted the very simple furniture of the residence of the 
President of the Cuban republic. 

. The first questions were about my entering into the 
Cuban lines, and whether the Spaniards had permitted 
me to pass freely. On learning the threat of General 
Morales de los Rios to shoot me in case I should be 
captured, President Cespedes offered to send me to 
Jamaica in one of the Cuban boats that constantly 
make the passage. This offer I declined, as I had 
made up my mind to return through the Spanish lines 
unless something very unexpected happened to make 
me alter my resolution. I then expressed a wish to 
be allowed to pass through the Cuban lines to the 
Camarguey district, in order that I should be made 



244 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

acquainted with the state of the whole insurrection. 
President Cespedes at once replied, " Every facility- 
shall be placed at your disposal to see and examine 
into the state of our forces, and whatever information 
or papers you may require relative to the civil or 
military organization shall be freely placed at your 
disposal." Referring then to my letter on slavery in 
Cuba, he said, " We were pleased with this letter, 
because it showed a desire to present the case of Cuba 
fully and truly. . . . There are many points in it, how- 
ever, about which I shall speak to you at a future 
time. ... A hut has been placed at your disposal, 
and as you must be fatigued and may desire to rest, I 
will not detain you longer now, but expect you will do 
me the favor of breakfasting with me." 

Having accepted this kind invitation, I withdrew to 
my shelter of leaves to change my travel-stained gar- 
ments. When the hour of breakfast arrived, an aid- 
de-camp presented himself to conduct me to the house 
of the President. Breakfast was waiting, and as there 
was no other guest, I immediately sat down opposite 
the President. The table was not over twenty inches 
wide, and about two feet and a half long. Owing to 
the irregularities of the surface of the smoothened 
sticks, the few plates were rather unsteady, and it re- 
quired attention in order to avoid upsetting some of 
the presidential plate. Everything was in keeping 
with the modest exterior of the hut. The plates were 
mostly of tin, polished, and scrupulously clean. Break- 
fast consisted of a little broiled steak, some minced 
meat, sweet potatoes, a little boiled corn, with cassava 
bread, and a kind of Indian corn paste. Our beverage 
was water, and in place of coffee we had to console 



WITH CESEEDES. 



245 



ourselves with agua mona, or hot water sweetened 
with wild honey and flavored with a little ginger. 
But though the fare was frugal in the extreme, it was 
served with all the formality to be looked for in the 
White House. If the occasion was not marked by 
the pomp and splendor which attend the hospitalities 
of more prosperous rulers, en revanche it possessed a 
moral grandeur which in my eyes more than compen- 
sated for the absence of worldly pomps. 

When we had discussed the very frugal meal before 
us, I asked the President his opinion of the Spanish 
republic. He immediately asked me if its existence 
had been officially announced ; and I answered him 
that General Morales de los Rios had officially an- 
nounced the abdication of Amadeus and the establish- 
ment of the republic to the consuls the day preceding 
my departure from Santiago de Cuba. The President 
then actually proceeded to interview me relative to my 
opinions on the subject ; but I reminded him that I 
came to interview him, not to be interviewed. A com- 
promise being effected, he spoke, in effect, as follows, 
about the republic in Spain : " Spain is not a repub- 
lican country, and the military aristocracy will never 
consent to the permanent establishment of a republican 
form of government. The present government may 
last a little while ; but before four months you will 
see a struggle inaugurated between the monarchists 
and the republicans. It is impossible to say how the 
republic may affect the cause of Cuba ; but it can 
make no difference to the men in arms, for they will 
accept no condition from Spain except independence. 
Many of the prominent republicans h ive advocated a 
right to freedom ; but there is a great difference be- 

21* 



246 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

tween theory and practice. Now that they are, as 
you assure me, really in possession of power, we shall 
see how they will act." 

" Castelar, I believe, is opposed to the abandonment 
of Cuba?" 

" Yes, Castelar has falsified his republican principles. 
It is some time since he declared that he was a' better 
Spaniard than republican, so that we can look for very 
little from him." 

" But if Spain should finally adopt a republican 
form of government, would not Cuba be disposed to 
become reconciled to her ?" 

" I cannot say what the sentiment or feelings of the 
people in the towns may be ; but the Cubans in arms 
will accept no reconciliation or peace with Spain except 
on the condition of independence. We are separated 
from Spain by an ocean of water, and have interests 
different to hers ; but we are also separated by an 
ocean of blood, and by the remembrance of cruelty 
unnecessarily used by the Spanish government in 
their efforts to subdue us. The blood of our fathers 
and our brothers, and of helpless, defenseless families, 
slaughtered in cold blood, forbids our ever accepting 
any conditions from the Spaniards. They must go 
away and leave us in peace, or continue the war until 
we are all dead or they have been exterminated." 

" What would become of the Spanish population in 
case of the abandonment of the island by Spain ?" 

" At present we look upon all Spaniards as enemies, 
and treat them so ; but if the independence of Cuba 
were conceded, and a treaty of peace made with Spain, 
those Spaniards who might select to remain would 
receive the same protection as other citizens; and, as 



WITH CESTEDES. 



247 



the Cubans are a very orderly and law-abiding people, 
if it were only shown that the Spaniards were permitted 
by law to remain, they could do so without any fear 
of interference or injury." 

" A proposition that a certain sum of money, guar- 
anteed by America, should be paid to Spain, as the 
price of abandoning her claim to Cuba, has been put 
in circulation by some parties. Would the Cubans 
accept such a solution of this difficulty?" 

" No authoritative proposition of this nature was 
ever made ; but if such a solution would be accepted 
by Spain, and the sum required were not unreason- 
able, the Cubans, in my opinion, would be willing to 
accept such terms, in order to put an end to the war 
so barbarously waged by Spain. We desire peace, 
that we may return to the reconstruction of our 
homes and the well-being of the country ; but before 
everything we want our independence. If Spain will 
continue the war, we will fight until the country is a 
desert, so that Spain shall receive no benefits from the 
blood she is shedding uselessly. 

" But I believe that the public opinion of the world 
will not long delay in coming to our aid. The pros- 
pect for Cuba is very favorable-; the Spaniards are 
everywhere abandoning the towns and encampments 
in the interior, because they have no longer the 
strength to defend all the country. It is my opinion 
that they intend retiring to the sea-coast and trying to 
maintain themselves ; but as soon as we can procure 
cannon, ai d organize thoroughly our army, we shall 
attack them in the towns. There was a moment, about 
a year ago, when we were reduced to terrible extremi- 
ties, and we wanted everything, — clothes, ammunition, 



248 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



arms ; but to-day we have all things, and in great part 
taken from the enemy. If the war should continue, 
we hope to profit by the experience of the past, and to 
continue our system of attacking the enemy, which 
has produced such good results. In fact, we are now 
living on the enemy. We take from them clothes and 
food, and whatever else we may need. In the begin- 
ning we acted with too much generosity, setting at 
liberty the Spanish prisoners, even after the proclama- 
tion of the Spanish government announcing that all 
taken in arms would be shot, and that even the women 
captured in the insurgent districts would be subject to 
ten years' imprisonment or deportation to Fernando Po. 
Several times I have made efforts to induce the Spanish 
government to carry on the war in a civilized manner, 
but without results. The Spaniards have resorted to 
the most barbarous expedients to subdue us. Six 
different commissions have left Havana with the in- 
tention of assassinating me. Three returned, having 
abandoned the enterprise, and two of the others are 
supposed to have perished. The third was a man 
who presented himself to enlist in the body-guard of 
General Quesada. Something suspicious about him 
caused his arrest, and concealed on his person was 
found a knife. Being questioned, he confessed that 
he had been sent from Havana with the mission to 
assassinate me. Of course he was at once hanged ; 
but these circumstances show you to what lengths the 
Spanish authorities are capable of proceeding. It is 
pleasant to record that during the four years of the 
insurrection no attempts have been made on my life, 
although I live, as you see, without guards and with- 
out precautions. Every one is at liberty to come in 



WITH CESPEDES. 249 

here. Only at night there is a single sentinel on duty 
before my door." 

I then asked what might be the number of the armed 
Cubans in the field. He replied, "That is somewhat 
difficult to answer correctly. Owing to the condition 
of disorganization to which we were reduced a year 
ago, a good deal of disorder crept in, and the difficulty 
of communicating with the generals, as well as the 
absolute want of paper and ink with which to make 
reports, rendered it impossible for the generals to 
furnish the proper returns. At one time we did not 
have a piece of paper as big as this envelope on which 
to write a communication, and were obliged to write 
on the leaves of the trees ; but, speaking generally, I 
think we must have from ten to twelve thousand armed 
men in the field, with about an equal number of con- 
voyeros and servants, who perform service in the army. 
The strength of our forces is also liable to great fluc- 
tuations. In the moments of defeat large numbers dis- 
perse, or desert, and when any success has been gained 
the army is suddenly augmented to an extraordinary 
extent. We have lately been receiving large acces- 
sions from the Spanish ranks, principally from the 
Cuban volunteers, many of whom come over to us with 
their arms and ammunition. In the district of Bayamo 
I am informed, in a letter lately received, that nearly 
four hundred volunteers have presented themselves, 
mostly white men, and a large proportion of these 
have brought with them their arms. The same thing 
happened in Mayari after our attack. I believe that 
in time all the Cuban volunteers will take sides with 
us against Spain. Should this happen our triumph 
will be assured." 



250 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



Cespedes was hurrying off in the direction of Man- 
zanillo when the news of my arrival reached him. 
After my interview preparations were immediately 
made to continue his march. Cespedes was desirous 
that I should go to the coast with a guard, and 
embark at once for Jamaica, because he was anxious 
that what I had seen should be made known as soon 
as possible ; besides, it was considered the shortest 
and safest way out. However, my mind was made up 
to continue with Cespedes, and leave the insurgent 
lines at a point remote from Santiago de Cuba, in 
order to render it impossible for the Spanish authori- 
ties to deny that I had visited the Cuban camp. As 
there had been already some misrepresentation on the 
part of correspondents, I could not afford to have even 
the Spaniards doubt the truth of what I should write. 
It appeared to me better to accept all the risks of my 
mission and so place my testimony beyond question. 
After some difficulty I convinced Cespedes that from 
my point of view I was right, though of course so far 
as Cuban interests were concerned Cespedes was jus- 
tified in hurrying me away, expecting to derive advan- 
tage from my testimony as to the reality of the exist- 
ence of Cuba Libre. 

But not being in any sense a Cuban agent or official, 
I naturally adopted the course most to the advantage 
of the Herald and my own. 

During our short stay in the little camp at Rio 
Azul, the only incident of any interest that occurred 
was a scare caused by me in the following stupid man- 
ner. There are plenty of snakes, scorpions, and chame- 
leons in Cuba, but, with the exception of the latter 
animal, none are poisonous. 



WITH CES PEDES. 



251 



The bite of a large green chameleon is said to cause 
madness, and even death. Having a constitutional 
dread and hatred to the venomous tribe, I never let 
slip an opportunity of destroying such specimens as 
happen to come in my way. Now a pretty large chame- 
leon had taken it into his head to sun himself on a tree 
near my hut. Objecting to the presence of such a 
neighbor, I took my revolver, and, totally forgetting 
that I was in a military camp, fired at the chameleon. 
The effect was electric on more than the poor chame- 
leon, whose nose was cut off by the bullet, making him 
a most hideous sight. In all directions men issued 
from the huts ; tumbled out of hammocks ; rushed to 
saddle horses ; looked to the priming of guns ; and, 
generally speaking, there was the deuce to pay all 
through the camp. The long beard of the President 
appeared at the door of his hut. He was anxious to 
know what had caused the firing. I stood looking 
very foolish, and not quite certain whether it was my 
own nose or the chameleon's I had shot off. Colonel 
Cespedes, however, soon came to my relief, and after 
a little trouble, quiet was restored, and I went to make 
my excuses to the President. He took the affair very 
good-naturedly, simply saying it had given a means 
of testing the troops wIid were new to him. It was 
very much to the credit of the men that in an instant, 
almost before the echo of the shot died away, all the 
fighting men in the camp were under arms, and as- 
sembled in the direction of the firing. 

Next morning we broke up camp and began our 
long and weary marches through the mountains. So 
far as I was concerned, the beginning was certainly 
inauspicious. Before we had marched five hundred 



252 



THE MAMB1-LAND. 



yards in the new direction we had forded the Rio 
Azul two or three times, and on one of those occasions 
the horse which had been procured for me slipped into 
a hole, and though I got off his back in time to avoid 
being crushed, I found that standing in a river icy 
cold, up to one's waist, was a very disagreeable perform- 
ance. There was no opportunity to change my nether 
garments, and I was consoled with the information that 
there were numerous other rivers to be crossed ; and as 
the chances of being ducked again before night had to 
be taken into consideration, I rode on feeling decidedly 
chilly, and wishing there was a little brandy among 
the party ; but there was none. Of course no pity 
was extended to me ; quite the contrary, which ren- 
dered it all the more agreeable. Before the day was 
passed, however, we had two or three magnificent 
thunder- showers, which pretty well damped the fun 
of my companions. 

We halted in the woods about five in the evening, 
and the men sat to work to construct temporary shel- 
ter-huts. Rough frames made of lopped branches, 
bound together by the natural twine, or majajua, and 
covered by leaves of the palm-tree, or layers of tall 
Guinea-grass, were run up with wonderful prompti- 
tude, but it was too late. The awful down-pours had 
washed through our water-proofs just as though they 
were so much brown paper, and-rain was rushing down 
our pantaloons as though they were water-pipes. 
However, as soon as the shelter-huts were con- 
structed, and we were thoroughly soaked, the rain 
stopped for a few hours, and gave us the chance to dry 
our clothes at the fires. Historic characters might be 
seen sitting somewhat disconsolately on their ham- 



WITH CESPEDES. 



253 



mocks, holding their nether garments over the little 
fires, lighted expressly for their convenience. This 
was certainly not encouraging to begin with, though 
it was quite picturesque to be swung up in a ham- 
mock between two trees, with a shed of leaves and 
grasses, supported on a rude frame-work, just man- 
aging to keep off the body of the rain, but leaving the 
wind-gusts and rain-spray to sweep refreshingly over 
the occupant. The poetry of the situation can, how- 
ever, be best admired from a distance, for nothing can 
well be drearier than to be obliged to gather one's 
self up in order to offer the smallest mark for the rain, 
that somehow would make its way to the hammock, 
and render every thing cold, clammy, and death-like. 
Conversation or amusement under these circumstances 
is impossible, as each one camps alone, swung up on 
his own hook. 

It rained so hard that the forest was converted into 
a regular swamp, and the roads became impassable 
even for the Cubans. This procured for us the pleas- 
ure of a day's halt in this delightful locality, and so 
there was nothing for it but to remain suspended, and 
drink agua-mona gcngibre, which is only ginger and hot 
water, in the wakeful intervals of the day. Poor Ces- 
pedes was down with the chills and fever, and if the 
ground had not been so muddy I should have paid 
him a visit of condolence, but in view of the state of 
the weather I thought a message by his son would do 
as well. Fortunately, towards evening the drizzle 
ceased, and next morning we were enabled to pursue 
our journey. 

During some weeks I traveled with Cespcdes 
through the wildest and strangest scenes it has ever 

22 



:54 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



been my lot to witness, and so impressed was I with 
the self-sacrifice and devotion of the President and the 
band of men by whom he is surrounded, that had I 
been unfavorable to the Cuban cause, their patient en- 
durance of hardship, and even want, would have con- 
verted and made me a friend. Not that my own 
position was a very enviable or pleasant one, for 
though whatever luxuries were at hand were reserved 
for my use, the unwonted fatigues, and the strange 
and, to me, unpalatable food, subjected me to great 
sufferings, though I endeavored to conceal the fact as 
much as possible. After the first few days the marches 
became dreadfully monotonous, ever through endless 
woods, up steep hills, down through precipitous val- 
leys, scrambling, slipping, fording, momentarily in 
danger of breaking one's neck through a false step of 
the horse. These things, however, would have been 
bearable enough only for the bad state of my health. 
Low fever and a disordered stomach are capable of 
destroying all the pleasures of life, and certainly they 
were sufficiently potent to render me, if not insensible, 
at least indifferent, to the many scenes of marvelous 
grandeur encountered during our march. 

The presidential party consisted of eight members 
of the staff, including Senor Miguel Bravo y Senties, 
who discharged the duties of Minister of War. These 
gentlemen were mounted on excellent horses, whic\ 
with the exception of two mules captured from the 
Spaniards, were the only quadrupeds in the party. 
The better part of the way a man on foot could cer- 
tainly make his way more rapidly and more safely 
than on horseback ; but there were occasions in 
crossing the savannas when the use of mounted 



WITH CESPEDES. 



255 



scouts would have been of great value to the party in 
insuring it from ambush or surprise. Miguel Bravo, 
the Minister of War, is by profession a doctor, and, 
like most of the wealthy Cubans, was educated in 
Europe. At the outbreak of the insurrection he was 
arrested and deported to Fernando Po, but after a few 
years made his escape, and returned to Cuba in one of 
the patriotic expeditions. He is a gentleman of re- 
fined manners, and has a mind well cultivated. Colo- 
nel C. M. Cespedes, son of the President, was educated 
in the United States, and speaks English with fluency. 
Major Fernando Figueredo, a relative of Figueredo, 
the former Minister of War, executed by the Spaniards, 
was also educated in the United States, and speaks 
English with remarkable fluency and correctness. The 
other members of the party were Captain Jose Ignacio 
Queseda, brother-in-law of Cespedes, Major Francisco 
Estrada, his nephew, and Major Rafael Caymari. 

These gentlemen not only perform the duties of the 
staff, but form the President's guard of honor. In order 
to prevent any attempt on the life of the President they 
keep nightly watch. Whether in camp or on the march, 
after nightfall one of these gentlemen remains con- 
stantly in the hut of the President. Each one watches 
for two hours ; a light is kept burning, which enables 
them to read and to notice the approach of any unau- 
thorized person. In addition, a single sentry paces out- 
side the hut; this simple guard secured Cespedes from 
any attempt against his life during the whole period of 
his presidency. The mode of life of the presidential 
party was anything but attractive, and the sufferings 
and hardships it involved must have taxed to the 
utmost the devotion and patriotism of the gentlemen 



256 



THE MAMB1-LAND. 



who composed it. The constant fatigues were such as to 
try the rudest constitution. Unceasing activity, mental 
and physical, was demanded from them, and submitted 
to with the best humor, so that in spite of sufferings 
and hardships they were always gay and light-hearted. 
If the necessaries of life were moderately plentiful they 
were glad, if food were absolutely wanting they were 
thankful that things were no worse, and consoled 
themselves with the reflection that a day of plenty was 
not far off. 

Towards the end of 187 1—2, in common with all the 
Cuban forces, the President and his staff were reduced 
to extreme misery. . They were wanting in nearly all 
the necessaries of life. Even the President was in 
tatters, and most of his staff in rags. The military 
operations of the Spaniards were carried out with 
great vigor in the hope of completely crushing the 
insurrection. The insurgents, without arms or ammu- 
nition, could offer no effective resistance to the columns 
which swept through the island in all directions. 
Flight only was possible, and the increasing vigor of 
the pursuit left no time for repose or rest. On one 
occasion a Spanish column pursued the presidential 
party so closely, that in order to avoid capture they 
were obliged to take refuge in the wildest regions of 
Cuba Libre. For six days they marched through the 
wood, their sole means of subsistence being sour 
oranges. It appears incredible that men should vol- 
untarily undergo so much hardship, but it proves be- 
yond question the constancy and valor of the people. 
The age of chivalry has not passed away. 

In 1 87 1 the Cubans were reduced to the greatest 
misery, and for some time it appeared as if all the 



WITH CESPEDES. 



257 



sacrifices that had been made were to prove unpro- 
ductive. During three months the insurgents wan- 
dered about in the wildest recesses of the mountains, 
living on wood-rats and roots, flying before an enemy 
who pursued with the fierce ardor of the bloodhound. 
In this terrible period the Cubans were wholly without 
ammunition, and the Spaniards, perceiving their oppor- 
tunity, used it to the utmost. Column after column 
attacked the insurgents, and considerable numbers fell 
under the volleys of their enemies without having the 
power of defending themselves. 

But they would not surrender, nor abandon their 
cause; hunted like wolves, they fled to the wildest dis- 
tricts, and sought refuge in the savage woods, but even 
here the Spanish soldiers followed them. Fearful as 
was the scourge of war and the fierce anger of men, a 
more terrible enemy still appeared. Cholera attacked 
the insurgents. There were no hospitals, and but little 
medicine available. The enemy pressed his attacks, 
and the sick and dying had to ford rivers and struggle 
through the thick brushwood, and clamber over moun- 
tains, in order to avoid Spanish vengeance. Human 
nature could not resist the strain, and the track of the 
retreating Cubans was marked with heaps of dead. 
Then came the horrid pestilence that swept away friend 
and foe alike. The Cuban camps were encumbered with 
the dead. Men arrived with dispatches for the Presi- 
dent, and dropped dead as they delivered them. Staff 
officers let fall their pens in the middle of an unfinished 
dispatch, and died without a word. The sentries fell 
dead at their posts, and it was no unusual sight to see 
a number of corpses lying scattered about the Presi- 
dent's hut. 

22* 



258 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



It would be impossible to estimate with anything 
like accuracy the losses of the Cubans during those 
, days of horror. But in the midst of this pestilence 
and death, there was still no thought of surrender. 
At first the Spaniards swept through the infected en- 
campment, but the pestilence broke out with such 
fearful violence among the troops that all military 
operations had to be abandoned, but not before thou- 
sands of Spanish soldiers sunk down among their 
plague-stricken enemy. 

During this period whole families were swept away, 
and battalions melted as if the angel of death had 
breathed on them. When at last the pestilence had 
worn itself out, Cuba Libre was well-nigh reduced to 
a desert ; the famished and disease-stricken inhabitants 
wandered about like ghosts of their former selves, and 
the prospects of the patriots looked black and hope- 
less indeed. Despair led to the adoption of new tactics, 
and as they had neither clothing nor ammunition they 
resolved to supply themselves from the stores of their 
enemies. The attack on Jibara and Holguin proved 
eminently successful. Money, clothing, and ammuni- 
tion, as well as arms, fell into the hands of the Cubans. 
For the first time the leaders clearly perceived the 
mistake they had made in carrying on a strictly defen- 
sive war, and the new tactics were put into vigorous 
operation. No town in the Central or Eastern De- 
partments can now consider itself secure from attack. 
It has therefore been necessary to garrison every vil- 
lage, and as a result the Spaniards are unable to put a 
really effective army into the field. The Cubans, com- 
paratively well supplied with arms, clothing, munitions, 
have acquired new confidence in themselves, and are 



WITH CESPEDES. 2 rg 

proving more than a match for the unwilling soldiers 
sent against them by Spain. When Holguin was 
attacked and plundered, the Spanish authorities would 
only admit that the enemy had penetrated into the 
town and burned some half-dozen bohios, or Cuban 
huts. Yet the resources captured at Holguin and 
Jibara, among them the military chest, gave new life 
to the Cuban insurrection. Such is the value of Span- 
ish official information. 

The road taken by Cespedes on leaving Rio Azul 
lay through the wildest part of the mountain districts 
of Jiguani, Bayamo, and Manzanillo. It was not the 
one usually made use of by the Cuban forces, though 
there were certain points of contact. It would be tire- 
some to relate each day's march, for, with few ex- 
ceptions, they resembled each other closely, only 
fortunately the days were not all wet, though in the 
mountains we scarcely ever escaped a shower or two 
in the day. We were in some measure compensated, 
however, by the comparative coolness of this higher 
region, and the shelter of the woods which constantly 
surrounded us. We did not continue all the time 
among the mountains, but descended to the llanos, 
or plains, whenever we thought well to do so, either 
for convenience of travel or in search of food. The 
troops guarding the presidential party are generally 
hard up, as they cannot venture to forage so exten- 
sively as other troops, on account of the presence of 
Cespedes. However, several raids were made in the 
course of the journey, notably one at Bueycito, a vil- 
lage that has distinguished itself from the beginning 
by its bitter hostility to the Cuban cause. All (he in- 
habitants arc volunteers, and wage unceasing war on 



2 6o THE MAMBI-LAND. 

their countrymen. It was, therefore, with hearty good 
will that the Mambi soldiers obeyed the order to move 
out and sack the farms in the immediate neighborhood 
of the village, which is fortified. The men were tired, 
after a long and very fatiguing march, and, to my mind, 
wanted rest. They preferred, however, something to 
eat, although they had to march about ten miles to get 
the raw material, and ten back before they could cook 
it. It would make in all about fifty miles, which, con- 
sidering the state of the roads, and number of days the 
men had been marching previously, I thought very 
hard work, especially as the rations were particularly 
short. The expedition was most successfully carried 
out, and the men returned towards morning absolutely 
laden with provisions and an enormous quantity of 
green tobacco. Had it not been for the stupidity 
of one of the guards firing at a cow, and so creating 
alarm, the whole tobacco crop of Biteycito would have 
been confiscated to the use of the Mambis. As it was, 
they had cigarettes for quite a long while. The green 
tobacco is dried over the fire, and so the Mambis are 
enabled to use it in their cigarettes. It is, of course, 
very unwholesome in this state, but the Cubans are so 
very much attached to smoking that they cannot do 
without some kind of weed. Almost as soon as the 
foragers returned orders were given to march, and the 
poor fellows had to pack up again. The march, how- 
ever, was a very short one, and was undertaken rather 
as a military precaution than for the purpose of cover- 
ing ground. 

It may be well to explain a little how the Cuban 
commissariat department is carried on ; for in this, as 
in most other matters, the arrangements are unique. 



WITH CESPEDES. 2 6l 

No rations are issued to either troops or officers, nor 
is there any such thing as transportation or pay. The 
soldier not only fights, but he must feed himself. If 
he should be hungry he has no one to blame but him- 
self, as he is his own commissary-general. After a 
march he starts out to the nearest plantation, and digs 
for bouiatos, cassava-roots, yams, and many other suc- 
culent roots, or he eats sugar-cane, and lays in his 
store. If cattle are killed, the meat is distributed to 
the men ; this is the only approach to issuing rations 
known in Cuba. As the officers cannot provide them- 
selves with food, they are supplied with a number of 
servants, in proportion to their rank, whose business 
it is to collect food and perform all menial duties 
for their chiefs. These men are called ayudantes, or 
assistants. They are taken from the convoyero class, and 
are unarmed. The services rendered to the Cuban 
cause by these men are very great, as without their aid 
the white officers would scarcely be able to resist the 
fatigues of the campaign. They are principally drawn 
from the slave class, and are capable of undergoing an 
enormous amount of fatigue, but are usually very bad 
soldiers. It has been found of more benefit, in carry- 
ing on the war, not to arm the most ignorant of the 
slaves, as they are so broken in spirit by the flogging 
system that they have no self-respect, and are there- 
fore very unreliable as fighting material. There are, 
however, a great many exceptions, for quite a consid- 
erable number of the slaves have displayed marked 
courage and risen to high command. They were, 
however, in nearly all cases, Creole negroes, or, as 
they are now more politely called, Morenos. 

Although the camp was not always well provided 



262 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

with food, my supply was constant. In fact, quite 
undevourable quantities of food were sent to me, to the 
great joy of my esquire, Pio, whose appetite was a 
wonder in itself. Whatever came was welcome, and 
if I could not dispose of it Pio could. It was a sacrifice 
of self he made on my behalf, and, like most good 
actions, had its reward, for when I took leave of him 
to go to Manzanillo, he was looking so fat and pros- 
perous that his friends must have found some difficulty 
in recognizing him. He was very much attached to 
me, but could not resist taking the one bottle of 
brandy which I procured in Cuba Libre. However, 
he more than repaired that little failing by the present 
of numerous cocoanuts, and many other luxuries he 
sought out for me. He could go up a cocoa-tree like 
a monkey, and it was a real pleasure to see how he 
would toss down the milky treasure to the thirsty 
folks below. During my stay with President Ces- 
pedes I was supplied from his kitchen, but was by no 
means confined to his rather humble fare. His son 
furnished me with coffee, which was the great solace of 
my days, and when other officers fell on any luxury my 
share was always reserved. But, except beef, which 
could not always be had, and coffee, neither the food 
nor the luxuries agreed with me. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 

Fortitude of the Mambis — Wonders of the Forest — Nature aiding 
the Mambis — Jutia Hunt — Digging for Boniatos — The Cuban 
Kitchen — A Forest Dejeuner — The Thug of the Forest — My Life 
in Cuba Libre — March to Bayamo — Mambi Theatricals — A Pat- 
riot's Gift — Perilous Adventure. 

The wonderful endurance of the soldiers and con- 
voyeros astonished me : these men seemed absolutely 
fatigue-proof. In the morning they rose before day- 
light and prepared for the march. If they had been 
lucky the day before, they partook of some cold jutia 
meat and roasted boniato, or bread made from cassava- 
root, before setting out ; if not, they were animated 
with the hope of finding something edible at night. 
The more careful were laden down with several days' 
provisions as a precautionary measure; but every man's 
strength did not permit him to become an ambulating 
provision-store. 

The boniato, or sweet potato, the plantain, the cala- 
bash, cassava-root, sugar-cane, and sometimes Indian 
corn, were the principal vegetable food of the Mambi. 
In seasons of great distress the pulpy top of the palm- 
tree was also used as food ; and the number of these 
trees felled in the forest which we encountered on our 
march bore evidence to the frequency with which the 

263 



264 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



soldiers of the Cuban republic were forced to have 
recourse to this class of food. The Mambi kitchen 
is not very varied, the chief dish among all classes 
being a kind of stew made of boniatos, calabash, and 
plantain, seasoned with the flesh of the jutia, or with 
beef when within reach. In order to secure a change, the 
ingredients were generally served roasted separately, 
and to my palate were much more agreeable than in 
the stew. Indian corn, rudely broken between stones, 
and made into a kind of paste, which tried severely 
the masticating power, was among the luxuries not 
often within reach. The beverages peculiar to Cuba 
Libre were agua mona and gengibre. The former con- 
sisted merely of hot water sweetened with wild honey ; 
the latter was the Mambi punch, and made by the 
addition of ginger-root to the agua mona. It acted as 
a stimulant, and was considered good for the stomach, 
taken in small quantities. After long marches on wet 
days I found it a very refreshing beverage, and not a 
bad substitute for whisky-punch. It had, however, 
no intoxicating effect, but acted as a stimulant. Coffee 
and chocolate were also to be had in limited quantities. 
Wild honey supplies the place of sugar in the moun- 
tain districts. Most of these elements of subsistence 
are to be found in restricted quantities all over Cuba 
Libre. Owing to the wonderful fertility of the soil, 
the abandoned plantations do not cease to produce 
because man no longer labors in the fields. Many 
classes of root-food grow wild in the forests, and the 
boniato continues producing for years. The root 
grows at the end of a bcjitco, or kind of trailer, and 
many of these trailers belong to one plant. In fact, 
the boniato may be said to grow by families, as the 



FIOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 



265 



one plant will have sometimes half a dozen roots in 
different stages of development. Only the well-grown 
root is plucked, and the trailer allowed to fall on the 
ground becomes again fruitful, and after a few months 
produces a new root. As the Spaniards cannot either 
burn or root up this vegetable, it is not possible ever 
to reduce the Cubans to submission by starvation. 
The jutia and the boniato alone would enable them to 
continue the war indefinitely. But the plantain, the 
sugar-cane, and the numberless wild fruit-trees also 
bear their harvests without the aid of man ; so that, 
though the insurgents may suffer from want in certain 
wild districts, anything like a general failure of food 
is well-nigh impossible. In order to diminish the 
hardships of the patriots, orders have been given for 
the establishment of fincas in the large uncultivated 
districts, and the sowing of various classes of vegetables 
in all the Cuban camps. This system will place the 
insurgents in a position to continue the war indefi- 
nitely, and render the failure of supplies impossible. 
Many classes of beans are fit for food thirty days after 
they are planted, such is the wonderful fertility of the 
soil. 

Colonel Cespedes was fortunately supplied with 
quite a respectable bag of coffee, and every morning 
and evening a cup of the delightful beverage was 
brought to me by one of the ayudantes. 

As soon as the roll had been called we took up the 
line of march. The President and staff, with whom I 
rode, occupied the centre of the line, and our party 
was preceded by two lusty maclicteros, who lopped 
down inconvenient branches, and cleared a way 
through the brush for our horses. We marched for 



2 66 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

three or four hours without making a halt, and almost 
without pause. It must have been killing work for the 
men, but they bore it wonderfully well. Two objects 
were served by this custom. In case troops were ad- 
vancing in the hope of surprising the party, they were 
left far behind in a short time, and so the danger of 
pursuit was lessened, and the men were enabled to get 
over a good deal of the way in the cool hours of the 
morning. About half an hour was given to rest, and 
those who had anything to eat made their breakfast. 
We always were pretty well supplied, and the little al 
fresco repasts in the shadow of the trees were really 
enjoyable. Stories of adventures, more or less ridicu- 
lous, were never wanting, and we laughed and joked 
while disposing of our humble fare with a hearty good 
will seldom found at more pretentious dejeuners. For 
the nonce we were children of nature, and twittered 
as merrily as the little song-birds among the trees. 
Whenever we encountered abandoned plantations, a 
short halt was made to allow the soldiers to collect 
provisions. The scenery was such as would have de- 
lighted the heart of a painter or a poet, and every mile 
passed over presented new subjects for admiration. 
Trees, fruits, and flowers unknown to our northern 
clime, the wide - extending savanna, and the forest 
with its rank richness of life, its tender saplings, and 
kingly forest-trees, offered endless subjects for reflec- 
tion and speculation. 

Wonder is excited by the number of hidden re- 
sources which the skilled woodsman finds in these 
Cuban forests. Where the stranger would perish amid 
a wilderness of timber, of creepers, lianes, vines, and 
the thousand strange and beautiful parasite-plants, that 



HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 



267 



wonderful creature, el Jiombre del campo, who seems to 
have surprised all nature's secrets, finds in these awful 
solitudes root-food, and honey, and purest distilled 
water to restore the wearied traveler. Among all 
these wonders, to my mind the bejuco, or hanging- 
fountain, is at once most beautiful and most useful. 
Imagine a huge vine, thick as a man's arm, falling in 
graceful festoons from tree to tree, whose roots are lost 
somewhere in the infinite tangle, and whose head has 
hid itself away amid the leafy roof of the forest, where, 
exactly, none can tell, but away somewhere, lazzaroni- 
like, basking in the sun. At first one is inclined to 
think that this huge flexible vine is a ship's cable that 
somehow has found its way into the forest, but the 
moment you touch it the hempen idea vanishes, and 
you find out that it is unmistakably a fibrous wood, 
and apparently nothing more. One's first impulse is 
to be angry, because the apparently useless festoons 
have a knack of falling across the path in a most in- 
convenient and obstructive manner. If your guide 
wishes to initiate you into the wonders about you, and 
he happens to be thirsty, which is very probable, 
he will draw his machete and begin lopping at the 
vine, as you will imagine, simply to get it out of the 
way. When he has cut it through as far up as he can 
reach, he will cut it low down, so that the piece that 
he holds in his hand will be some four feet long. 
Then you will be astonished to see him hold up above 
his head this piece of vine, and allow a stream of crys- 
tal water to pour down his parched throat. You 
naturally try it also, and, not being skilled in this 
mode of drinking, pour a quantity of very cool water 
down the collar of your shirt, — if you have a collar; 



2 68 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

but finally you gauge more correctly, and the grateful 
liquid tiny stream pours down your throat, and you 
think never have you drunk such pure, delightful 
water as from this hanging-fountain, — this air-stream 
placed by nature in the depths of the trackless forest, 
that those who love her, and learn her secrets, may 
never parch, even in her wildest recesses. 

The most curious tree, or plant, in the forest is a 
parasite known as the Cupey. Its appearance is very 
picturesque, but not alone is it useless itself, but it 
possesses an assassin-like instinct of destruction. 
Hence I christened it " the Thug of the Forest ;" for 
like that human reptile its great pleasure in life is to 
strangle such unfortunates as fall within its grasp. In 
the beginning it is humble enough : its seeds are borne 
by the wind and deposited on other trees. Having 
found shelter on the bough of some unsuspicious tree, 
it sends down a fine root like a silken twine that with 
time reaches the ground and takes root. In the mean 
time other cords have been dropped tentatively, until 
the unfortunate that thoughtlessly gave shelter to this 
parasite finds itself surrounded on every side by 
fibrous, rope-like roots growing daily stronger and 
more taut, until its trunk resembles the mast of a ship 
surrounded by tight-drawn ropes. At this stage the 
villainous character of the tree is no longer concealed, 
and, as the victim is securely in the Thug's grasp, a 
stout twine is cast around the original tree, and day 
by day the grasp tightens until the victim dies choked 
and rots to decay. In the English-speaking West 
Indies the Cupey is known as the " Scotch Attorney," 
a rather doubtful compliment to that canny class. 
Like the attorney, the Thug of the Forest grows fat 



HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 269 

and strong on the ruin of its victim, and as the strangled 
tree is crushed more ruthlessly in the fierce grip until 
life is crushed out, the parasite grows into a great tree, 
whose trunk springs from the seed that sent down the 
wonderful transparent, silk-like cords now grown into 
strong fibrous roots, rising often fifty feet into the air, 
and supporting at that height the massive trunk of the 
Cupey, that upstart-like pushes its way with effrontery 
among the grandest and noblest inhabitants of the 
woods, fated too soon to become the prey of the 
treacherous intruder. Sometimes the struggle for life 
is desperate, but from the Thug-folds there is no 
escape, unless by the aid of friendly man. It often 
happens that the victim succumbing drags down its 
enemy, and they lie side by side, branches entwined in 
deadliest struggle, as though in life they had known 
the passionate throbbing of love and hate, and, irre- 
concilable enemies, had died in a fierce embrace that 
not even death could loosen. 

But though hateful to the woodman, this tree, with 
the single exception of the ceiba, is the most pictur- 
esque of all the varied tree-family of the Antilles. 
Seen in the moonlight it is of exquisite beauty, and 
the Ioiict slender roots, from between which the original 
tree has rotted, look like silver ladders leading up to 
some enchanted palace hanging in mid-air. No artist 
would consent to the extirpation of this wood-scourge ; 
as well might one propose to do away with picturesque, 
ragged urchins and crazy, tumble-down rookeries, 
bringing the world to the mediocre dead level of re- 
spectability. No one, however, need fear their hasty 
extinction ; for, like most evil things in this sad world 
of ours, the)- thrive apace. Since the war no friendly 



270 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



hand is extended to rid the peaceful dweller in the 
woods of its savage foe; the machete is too much oc- 
cupied cutting short the threads of men's lives to have 
time to devote to saving trees. So this monstrous 
ghoul-like parasite rejoices, and grows fat and strong 
feeding on its defenseless neighbors. 

Long before entering Cuba Libre the name of the 
curious little animal upon which it was said the Cubans 
principally depended for their meat-supply was fami- 
liar to me. In some localities the reported scarcity of 
meat in the Cuban camp is quite true, but it is by no 
means well founded when made to apply to the whole 
of Cuba Libre. On the contrary, great scarcity of 
meat only exists in the mountain regions of Santiago 
de Cuba, Jiguani, and, possibly, though this is not 
certain, towards the Guantanamo district. Even so 
close to Santiago as Bayamo meat is more plentiful 
among the Mambis than with the Spanish troops ; nor 
can it well be otherwise, as, although the immense 
potreros which formed the chief wealth of the country 
lying between the Sierra Maestra and the Cauto, and 
spreading thence towards Holguin and Camarguey, 
are destroyed, and the owners wandering shoeless and 
mayhap shirtless among the patriot bands, the animal 
wealth of the country continues immense. The cattle 
abandoned by their owners wander in the woods and 
the llanos wild as buffalo herds ; but the natives have 
the knack of hunting them with the lasso, so that, 
though commons may be short from time to time, 
there is no constant dearth of meat in the wide terri- 
tory of Cuba Libre, but only in some districts. In 
Cuba and Jiguani, the wildest and most uncultivated 
portions of the island, the horse, the mule, but prin- 



HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 



2/1 



cipally the jutia, are the sources whence is derived the 
meat supply. As both enemy and friend had talked 
so much about the latter animal, my curiosity to catch 
a glimpse of him in his native state was excited, but 
it was by no means so easy as it Would seem to satisfy 
it. From what has already been stated, it may be in- 
ferred that the seeing of anything amid the cloud of 
leaves in the forest is extremely difficult. Indeed, it 
requires some practice to be able to distinguish birds 
even of brilliant plumage in a forest where the process 
of growth and decay goes on at the same moment. 
For here we are in a world where seasons seem un- 
known, and while one tree blossoms with the freshness 
of early spring, the rich autumn-tinted leaves of its 
neighbor tells that for it the winter is approaching. 
So closely are life and death associated that even in 
the same tree it is by no means unusual to find one 
bough mourning in winter garb, full of sadness and 
decay, while the fresh sprouts, that in less favored 
climes are children of spring, peep out laughingly 
from the same trunk as if conscious of new-born life. 
Vegetable life seems long since to have established the 
republic here, and every plant, in accordance with its 
free and sovereign will untrammeled by the despotism 
of seasons, has chosen its own winter and summer 
time, while the more turbulent have thrown away all 
obedience or respect for such fogy notions, and grow 
when and where they list. 

It was not, therefore, until long after my meeting 
with President Cespedes that a good chance offered to 
see the jutia in his native element. Dead, there was 
no scarcity, for the soldiers showed something like 
instinct in the pursuit of this animal. Owing to the 



272 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



constant raids on the jutia colonies, by troops passing 
along the trails, even the foolish jutia has perceived 
the necessity of removing more into the interior. 
Hence, unless one is prepared to plunge into the 
woods and undergo a considerable amount of fatigue, 
for which, after a long ride, one feels by no means en- 
thusiastic, an opportunity to study the habits of this 
tree-dwelling animal may not easily be found. How- 
ever, by waiting long enough, curiosity is certain to be 
satisfied. We had just reached the outskirts of a de- 
lightful nook, where the camp was to be made, when 
a soldier brought the welcome news that great num- 
bers of jutia were in the trees about the camp. Major 
Figueredo, of the President's staff, rode up to say that 
a hunt was in progress, and recommended me to at 
once dismount. 

It was not necessary to repeat the notice, so, throw- 
ing our bridles to some soldiers, we made our way 
into the woods, where a grand hunt was in progress. 
A number of soldiers and officers' servants were 
assembled, watching a boy essaying to climb a very 
large tree in which a jutia was ensconced. To my 
uneducated eye nothing in the shape of an animal 
was visible, though the adepts assured me that in the 
fork of the tree a jutia was lying concealed. Half-way 
up the trunk a huge parasite of the cactus family had 
grown, blocking farther advance. It formed a kind of 
cheveaux-de-frise , which the boy vainly endeavored to 
remove, and which he could not surmount, so he was 
obliged to give up the chase, to my infinite disgust, as 
there appeared some danger of losing the sight ; but a 
Jew would sooner let slip a good percentage than a 
Mambi allow a jutia to escape. As soon as it was 



HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 



273 



evident that the boy had abandoned the enterprise, a 
strong, athletic fellow sprang on a neighboring tree, 
climbing into the branches with an agility a monkey 
might envy. The object of this manoeuvre was soon 
explained, as the man running along a bough dropped 
into the tree where the jutia was supposed to be, above 
the obstruction that had defeated the boy. This move- 
ment, though masterly, was full of danger, for had he 
missed his hold he would have fallen at least fifty feet 
among piled-up logs of decaying timber. The some- 
what sudden apparition of the man startled the poor 
little animal, that had been wisely lying hid in the 
fork of the tree, and instinctively it took refuge among 
the high branches, where nothing larger than a 
monkey could safely have followed, for the slender 
bough swayed under the animal's weight. It appeared 
to me impossible that a man could follow, and so 
it was ; but now the hunting trick based on the 
well-known habits of the animal was brought into 
play. When the soldier had mounted as high as he 
could safely go, and the tree-top bent most threat- 
eningly under his weight, he was still far from being 
able to reach his wily antagonist, who retreated so as 
to be completely out of reach, and there faced the 
pursuer. 

At this juncture the man seized the bough in both 
hands and shook it violently, so much so that the 
animal found it difficult to maintain its position, which 
became at every instant more insecure. Although a 
gluttonous and very sedentary animal, the jutia is by 
no means wanting in courage, and seeing that it was 
no longer possible to avoid being thrown off the 
branch if the soldier were not driven away, the animal 



274 



THE MA MB I- LA HP. 



advanced resolutely to the attack; the soldier immedi- 
ately let go the bough and steadied himself, ready to 
strike with the machete. As soon as the jutia found 
a secure footing it rushed at the soldier with astonish- 
ing courage, and had he not dealt it a heavy blow, 
knocking it to the ground, he would unquestionably 
have felt the animal's claws and teeth. 

Sometimes on the banks of rivers the jutia burrows, 
or rather takes advantage of the crevices in the rocks 
and roots of decayed trees to make its home. Under 
these circumstances the hunt is still more lively, as the 
animal roused by. fear from its usual inactive state 
gives proof of surprising agility. On one occasion we 
smoked out a fine fat fellow, and though he ran the 
gauntlet of some eight or ten persons, there was so 
much eagerness to strike the animal that every one 
put himself in everybody else's way, so that to have 
hit the jutia it would have been necessary to cut 
some one's head off; and, as we were not hungry 
enough to do so, the jutia escaped, leaving us looking 
rather foolish, especially one gentleman, who was in- 
tently watching the chief crevice, machete in hand, 
when the very animal he was looking for jumped on 
his head and skedaddled back into his burrow before 
the astonished hunter could find out what was the 
matter, he being fairly scared lest a rock or a tree were 
coming down on him. The presence of the jutia in 
the tree is discovered by teeth-marks upon the leaves 
fallen to the ground ; the initiated are able to tell by 
the gnawing on the leaves whether the animal is likely 
to be in the tree or not. 

Not far from Guisa we encountered a detachment 
of the forces of General Diaz, under the command of 



HO W THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 



275 



Lieutenant-Colonel Emilio Noguera, a small, hardy, 
determined-looking man. His troops were so placed 
as to protect the march of the President ; and, as soon 
as the junction was effected, both detachments marched 
to join the main body, under the command of General 
Diaz, at the camp of Gua. Colonel Noguera had had 
several successful skirmishes with the Spanish guer- 
rillas, and, luckily, had captured a small convoy, so 
that the camp was well supplied with such luxuries as 
chocolate Menier, boxes of sardines, and real Havana 
cigarettes, as well as the latest numbers of the Diario 
de la Marina. From this delightful organ of the 
Spanish authorities I learned some startling facts 
about the attack on Jiguani led by Lieutenant-Colonel 
Saladriguez the night before the battle already de- 
scribed. According- to the Spanish version, the forces 
of General Garcia had made an attack on the town, 
and had been vigorously repulsed by the gallant de- 
fenders. No one was injured on the Spanish side, — 
according to official reports no one ever is. Two 
dead bodies of supposed insurgents were reported to 
have been found at some distance from the town, 
abandoned by the enemy. This circumstance was 
true enough, only the officials forgot that one of the 
dead bodies was that of a Spanish volunteer killed in 
the streets by the fire of his own friends, and carried 
away by the Cubans, in the hurry of retreat, by mis- 
take. They brought his rifle and cartouchiere back to 
the camp. There was also an amusing account of the 
capture of the convoy by Noguera in a local Manza- 
nillo sheet. Somehow they turned the affair round, 
so as to make the convoy be captured from the insur- 
gents, forgetting that the Mambis are supposed not to 



276 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



have any convoys, and to live on wood-rats, yams, 
and cassava-roots. 

We halted for the night in a historic spot, — an old 
barn on the top of a hill, where the Spanish prisoners 
made at Bayamo in the beginning of the war were 
for a long time confined. Colonel Noguera had made 
several prisoners in the combats with the Spanish 
guerrillas, and held them to await the order of the 
President. There were some half-dozen, all of them 
Cubans, and men who in the beginning of the insur- 
rection had been rebels. On surrendering, the Span- 
iards forced them to enter the guerrillas, where they 
had fought against their countrymen until captured. 
The insurgents adopted a very wise policy in dealing 
with these men : instead of treating them as traitors, 
and punishing them with death, they were simply dis- 
armed, and allowed to choose between entering the 
Cuban army or returning to the Spanish camp. This 
policy at first sight seems weak, but its wisdom has 
been proved by experience. The offer to let the men 
return to the Spanish lines appeared to me to be a 
mere matter of form, and understood in this light by 
both parties. My surprise was considerable when one 
of the prisoners replied to President Cespedes, " I am 
a good Cuban, and would like to remain with my 
countrymen ; but my family is in the hands of the 
Spaniards, and therefore I wish to return." He was 
followed by another man who spoke in the same 
strain. The other prisoners, being young, unmarried 
men, decided on remaining with the Cubans. Several 
women, also, who had been surprised and made prison- 
ers, were informed that they would be allowed to depart 
in peace in the morning as soon as the troops began 



HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 



277 



their march. These acts of clemency encourage the 
Cuban volunteers in the Spanish service to return 
without fear to the patriot ranks. The released 
prisoners and their families nearly always maintain 
friendly relations with the Mambis, and supply them 
with information and ammunition. An active propa- 
gandism is carried on among the Cuban volunteers 
in the Spanish service, and its results are seen in the 
desertion by hundreds of armed and disciplined men 
to the insurgents. 

As we had arrived somewhat earlier than usual, and 
every one was in good spirits, it was resolved to get 
up a concert to while away the long evening. It was 
chiefly to afford me an opportunity of hearing the 
chants with which the insurgents encouraged hope, 
or recorded some brilliant exploit of the war. Many 
of the songs were written by the men who sang them, 
like Fornaris y Cespedes and Major Figueredo. They 
were wild and bold, with a tinge of melancholy. It 
was soon bruited that the force of Noguera had also 
an artiste, and as the soldiers of Bayamo did not wish 
to have all the laurels of the evening carried off by 
the President's staff, a man was sent to hunt the genius 
up. He was a colored man, and a mixture of a min- 
strel and comedian. He gave sketches of life in Cuba 
Libre, supplying the plot and the words himself. As 
he enjoyed great local fame, President Cespedes, who 
had been lying in his hammock during the concert, 
got up and came into the outer room of the barn, 
which had been arranged for the representation. The 
soldier soon appeared, and made his bow to the Presi- 
dent and the audience. He then began a scries of 
comic sketches of the various classes of Mambis, which 

24 



278 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



were so true to nature, but with a subtle touch of ex- 
aggeration, that every one present was kept in a roar 
of laughter. The satirist did not spare the failings or 
defects of his audience, and one of his most successful 
sketches showed a convoyero in search of food near the 
Spanish outposts. The nervous excitement of the 
man, due to his sense of danger, and his terror when 
suddenly challenged by a concealed Spaniard ; his 
precipitate flight and abandonment of his provision- 
sack, were most masterly, and would have made a gen- 
uine success on any stage. On inquiring, I found the 
actor had at one time been a clown. Desiring to mark 
my appreciation of the man's genius and good nature, 
I sent him a present of a five-dollar gold-piece by my 
servant Pio. At first he wished to refuse the money, 
but owing to Pio's insistance he accepted it. In a few 
minutes, however, the comedian approached me, and 
said that while he thanked me very much, he could 
only accept my present on one condition, — " that I 
would take the money back with me to New York and 
give it for the benefit of some poor Cubans who might 
be in want." This action on the part of a poor fellow 
to whom a five-dollar gold-piece was a small fortune 
appeared to me very noble, and it showed that colored 
men were quite as capable of elevated thought as their 
paler-skinned comrades. 

In the course of our journeying we crossed the 
Cauto several times, the Contra-maestre, the Guananoa, 
the Mogote, Guama,the Grusa, and the Bayamo Rivers; 
nothing of interest occurred after the raid on Bueycito 
until we reached the Bayamo. Here the ford was 
very deep, and, owing to the steepness of the bank in 
iiont of the ford, it was necessary to ride in the river, 



HOW THE INSURGENTS LIVE. 



2/9 



hugging the land for a short distance. The water 
reached the saddle-girths, and to avoid being wetted 
we had to quit the stirrups and gather up well our 
feet. A very narrow gap in the bank, almost perpen- 
dicular, rose directly from the water, and furnished the 
only issue from the ford. All the mounted party 
passed before me successfully, but their passage had 
made the ground quite slippery, and they were grouped 
somewhat inconveniently at the top of the gap, owing 
to an obstruction in the woods. My horse was a small, 
active animal, wonderfully plucky, but not very strong. 
Seeing the top of the gap blocked, I had made up my 
mind to wait for a moment until the party should 
move forward and give me room to effect safely a 
landing on the ground above, so I pulled on the rein ; 
but the animal, while crossing the river, had taken the 
bit between his teeth, and, without heeding the pull, 
mounted the gap. To have checked him would have 
brought him back into the deep water, where both of 
us might have been swept away, so there was nothing 
for it but to let him go. Just at this moment a servant 
of Cespedes took it into his head to dart into the gap 
instead of mounting the banks like the other men 
through the tangled bush, and as my horse was about 
to trample the man down I touched the reins to draw 
him to one side. The animal was straining at his best, 
and my touch, light as it was, caused him to rear, lose 
his balance on the almost perpendicular slope, and fall 
over with a plash into the river. The incident occurred 
in a moment, and created considerable alarm. Every 
one thought I was killed. But my usual good fortune 
had not deserted me. Recognizing the danger of my 
position, I had thrown myself from the horse, and slid 



2 8o THE MAMBI-LAND. 

down the bank with my arms crossed before my face; 
a precaution which saved me from serious injury, as 
the horse, in falling over, kicked out and struck me 
with his hind feet on both arms. Fortunately, he was 
not shod, and I escaped with a couple of slight bruises 
and a very severe fright. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 

The Dominican Guerrillero — Arrival of Presidential Party — Tomas 
Estrada — A Sad History — Raids on Spanidi Settlements — Good 
News — Desertion of Garrisons of Punta Piedra and Congo — Camp 
of El Macho — Spanish Prisoner of War — Cuban Court-martial — A 
Memorable Bath — Spanish Officer shot — Oratory in Presence of the 
Dead. 

The camp of Gua is situated on the summit of a 
high mountain which overlooks the plains of Yara and 
Manzanillo. It is the favorite resting-place of General 
Modesto Diaz. From the Vigia, or outlook, steamers 
entering and leaving the harbor of Manzanillo are dis- 
tinctly visible, and also the Spanish encampments 
dotting the plain. At night the huge watch-lights ot 
the towers mark the position of the Spanish camps, 
while the vast plain black as pitch extends on every 
side. Seen from the mountain all detail was lost, even 
on comparatively clear nights, so that the sense of 
loneliness was only broken by the watch-lights that 
looked like monstrous fire-flies in the night gloom. 
Zarzal, Vegitas, Yara, were distinctly visible, and a 
white speck on the horizon marked the locality of 
Demajagua, where Cespedes first sent up the cry of 
independence on the ioth of October, 1868. 

The arrival of the presidential party created quite a 
stir in camp, and the soldiers were turned out under 
arms to receive the chief magistrate of the republic. 

2.1* :8i 



2 82 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

There were not more than a few hundred men present, 
as General Xavier Cespedes, the brother of the Presi- 
dent, was absent on a military expedition, and several 
small detachments were also operating. Owing to the 
steepness of the hill, I had been obliged to dismount 
and scramble up as best I could to the top of the 
mountain where General Diaz was perched. My horse 
did not much like the work of climbing, and broke 
away from the soldier into whose care I had given 
him, so that when the summit was reached I was 
obliged to make my way on foot to the headquarters, 
where the President and his party, who had been more 
lucky than myself, were assembled. President Ces- 
pedes presented me to General Diaz, who received me 
very cordially, offering me his hospitality during my 
stay. 

Modesto Diaz is by birth a Dominican, and in the 
war of San Domingo took sides with the Spaniards 
against his own countrymen. At the time of the 
outbreak of the Cuban insurrection he was living in 
the neighborhood of Manzanillo, on a small pension 
granted to him by the Spaniards, but feeling himself 
neglected and slighted by the government for which 
he had abandoned his own country, he took up arms 
for Cuban independence, and rendered service of great 
importance at the outbreak of the insurrection. He 
is between fifty and sixty years of age, but enjoys ex- 
cellent health ; he is a man of great physical strength, 
though not much above the medium height ; his 
shoulders are as massive as those of Hercules ; his 
limbs are light, and cleanly-shaped, with remark- 
ably small feet. His whole build indicates immense 
strength, joined with activity. And in fact, though 



IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 



283 



now an old man, Modesto Diaz is one of the most 
agile men in the Cuban forces. His horsemanship is 
proverbial ; anywhere a horse can go Modesto Diaz 
will ride him. He never dismounts, no matter how 
steep and perilous the road ; he rides on as though he 
was a Centaur. This peculiarity came more than 
once under my observation during my subsequent 
journeyings with him. He has no pretensions to edu- 
cation, but possesses a native shrewdness and quick- 
ness of device much more valuable than any amount 
of book-learning. All kinds of wood-knowledge he 
possesses, and with his machete, without map or com- 
pass, will lead men through forests where all the 
savants, military and civil, of Europe would lose 
themselves and perish. In addition, he is courageous 
and indomitable ; he knows exactly what he wants to 
do, and what he can do. He is a true gacrrillero, and 
though he will sustain the war as long as he lives, 
should it be necessary, he will never strike any decisive 
blow. It is against his principle to risk too much on 
a single engagement. But, though he possesses no 
qualities that would entitle him to be regarded as a 
great soldier, his place in the history of Cuba will ever 
be a prominent one. Next to Cespedes, Cuba will 
owe to him her independence. It is not too much to 
say that only for Modesto Diaz the insurrection would 
have been crushed in its infancy. When the insur- 
gents attacked Bayamo, a Spanish column advanced 
to the relief of the garrison that defended the barracks. 
Had this column entered Bayamo the insurrection 
would have at once succumbed. In this critical mo- 
ment Modesto Diaz, with a handful of men, advanced 
to dispute the passage of the relieving column. Col- 



284 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



lecting a few hundred slaves, armed with machetes, 
and some twenty men armed with guns and rifles, Diaz 
placed himself before a Spanish column of several 
hundred men. None of the insurgents had ever seen 
a shot fired, and many, frightened by the unequal 
nature of the combat, deserted. In this supreme mo- 
ment Diaz, with about a dozen men, took his place 
behind a huge tree commanding a ford, and having 
instructed the men not to fire, but only to load and 
hand him the guns, coolly waited the approach of the 
Spanish advance-guard. As soon as they came within 
range Diaz opened fire, and a regular battle began 
between one man and the skirmishers of the advancing 
column. They, of course, never imagined that it was 
the one man who sustained the rapid fire. But, so 
well was the fire directed, that no Spanish soldier 
could pass the ford. They were astonished at the 
tenacity of the resistance, and imagined that the whole 
Cuban army was posted in support. The officer in 
command showed criminal indecision, and the sudden 
appearance of a couple of hundred slaves, armed with 
machetes, on one of the flanks, persuaded the officer 
that he was in front of the Cuban army, which was 
making a movement to cut him off. Under this im- 
pression, a retreat was ordered, and next day Bayamo 
surrendered. This is one of the most remarkable in- 
stances in military history of what can be accomplished 
by the valor and decision of one man. Had the col- 
umn advanced, Bayamo would have been relieved and 
the Cuban insurrection suppressed, but — one man 
blocked the way. 

Among the gentlemen whom I met in the camp of 
Modesto Diaz, Sehor Don Tomas Estrada deserves 



IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 



285 



especial mention. He is a member of the Cuban 
Congress, and owns the land of Gua and the country 
surrounding it for many square miles ; yet his ward- 
robe was restricted to one suit of clothes, a few changes 
of linen, while his boots were very much worn and 
exhibited several yawning crevices. He was a young 
man, quiet and gentle in disposition, well-read, and of 
a thoughtful, practical mind. He had been educated 
in France, and was well posted in the revolutionary 
literature of that cradle of liberal aspirations. At the 
outbreak of the war he was living with his widowed 
mother on his estate. The attachment between them 
was unusually tender, and the old lady, though far 
advanced in years, insisted on accompanying her son 
to the Cuban camp. A small detached residence was 
built for her accommodation in a secluded part of the 
forest, and here she was surprised and captured by a 
Spanish detachment. The old lady stoutly refused 
to accompany her captors, but was dragged away by 
main force. The captors soon got tired of their 
prisoner, and, after dragging her for some miles 
through the forest, abandoned her in a senseless con- 
dition in the midst of the woods. Next morning the 
Cubans pursued the trail and found where the old 
lady had been abandoned, but she was nowhere to be 
found. In vain all parts of the wood were searched 
for several days ; but at last the old lady was found 
under a chestnut tree, dying from starvation, having 
subsisted for several days on the few nuts and wild 
fruits she could gather. Though every attention was 
paid to her, she died in a few days from the effects of 
the cruel treatment to which she had been subjected. 
This sad incident had thrown a shadow over the life 



2 86 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

of Estrada which no sunshine will ever completely 
clear away. 

The officer charged with keeping up communica- 
tions with Manzanillo was absent with his squad when 
we arrived at Gua. Every week he was dispatched 
regularly for letters, medicine, and ammunition, all of 
which were supplied in small quantities by sympa- 
thizers in the town. No definite course could be 
decided on until his return ; but most of the officers 
considered it would be extremely dangerous to ven- 
ture into Manzanillo. The question was constantly 
discussed, and efforts were made by several officers 
with whom I had formed a special intimacy to induce 
me to reconsider my determination of going into the 
Spanish lines. As the camp at Gua could not furnish 
sufficient resources for the largely-increased garrison, 
it was necessary to organize expeditions against the 
Spanish settlements in order to secure food. Two 
forays of this nature were successfully carried out 
under my eyes. For, from the outlook on the moun- 
tains, the Cuban forces engaged on the expedition 
could be seen moving across the plain, disappearing 
into the woods, and issuing out into the savannas 
like a huge black serpent. We could follow them 
with the naked eye into the cultivated fields of Zarzal. 
On one occasion shots were exchanged and some 
wounds inflicted ; but the insurgents carried off the 
needed supplies and returned to camp to enjoy them. 
This is what they call "living on the enemy." The 
effect of these tactics has told wonderfully against 
the Spaniards ; for the Cuban volunteers, who mainly 
occupy these settlements, find themselves plundered 
both by the Mambis and the Spaniards. It is impossible 



IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 2 Sj 

to protect the crops ; for, whenever these raids are 
made, the Spanish garrison, too weak to face the 
Cubans in the field, are obliged to retire to their forti- 
fications, while the Mambis carry off the harvest. Our 
life in camp was exceedingly jolly. After coffee in the 
morning we read books captured from the Spaniards 
or discussed the military operations, the defects of the 
present system of tactics, the advisability of carrying 
the war vigorously into the Cinco Villas and Western 
Department. The men cleaned their arms or mended 
their garments, or wove new provision-sacks or ham- 
mocks from the twine of majajua, or loafed about in 
the sun, enjoying grateful repose after the fatigues of 
their forays. In the night we repaired to a beautiful 
platform, embowered in trees, arranged near the look- 
out on the highest point of the mountain as a ball-room. 
Exposed to every breeze, it was delightfully cool, and 
at night, when crowded with the picturesque inhabit- 
ants of the Mambi-Land, it presented a scene of great 
beauty. 

The day on which the expedition returned laden 
with provisions, a messenger arrived in camp from 
Lieutenant-Colonel Antonio Bello, commanding a de- 
tachment at the encampment of El Macho, bearing 
most important tidings. An attack had been made on 
the camp by a Spanish column of four hundred men, 
and had been repulsed after a prolonged skirmish, in 
which some ten or twelve men had been wounded on 
the Cuban side. This was, however, nothing to the 
announcement that the Spanish garrisons of Congo 
and Punta Piedra had deserted to the Cubans, taking 
with them their horses, arms, ammunition, and families, 
as well as their commander, a Spanish major. Orders 



2 88 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

were at once given for a strong detachment of the 
troops to prepare to march on the morrow, and it was 
decided that I should accompany them, so as to see 
with my own eyes the men who had passed over to 
the Mambi flag. Next morning, as arranged, the men 
paraded under the command of Modesto Diaz, and I 
took leave, not without regret, of President Cespedes 
and his staff. When the moment of parting arrived, 
I extended my hand to bid the President farewell, but 
he insisted on embracing me in the Cuban fashion, 
assuring me that he looked on me not alone as an 
ambassador from the outer world, but that he would 
ever esteem me as a personal friend. In token of that 
esteem and friendship he embraced me before the 
assembled troops. Before setting out the President 
presented me a lieutenant's commission in favor of the 
black guide who met me under the ceiba-tree, as a 
recognition of the dangerous and important service he 
had rendered in guiding me safely through the Span- 
ish lines. 

Descending from the mountains, we marched in a 
southerly direction through the woods and savannas 
that lie at their base. The country through which we 
passed was remarkably beautiful, and at many points 
in the woods resembled those fairy bowers with which 
artists delight the public in pantomimes. 

When we arrived at El Macho we found the veteran 
Mambi and late Spanish volunteers drawn up in line 
facing each other. The veterans did not number over 
eighty men, and were generally very rusty and even 
ragged-looking. Over two hundred deserters were 
drawn up in front of them, well armed, well dressed, 
and looking very much more prosperous than their 



IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 



289 



new comrades. Their late commander, the Spanish 
major, was also present; he was allowed to go about 
at pleasure, but not to leave the camp. His wife, who 
was a Cuban, and his child were also in camp. He 
was presented to General Diaz, who treated him civilly 
but very coldly. It was sad to see the efforts he made 
to ingratiate himself with his captors, who exhibited 
no enthusiasm in his regard. As no one else seemed 
inclined to listen to him, he opened his heart to me, 
explained the hardship of his position, and declared 
his readiness to join the Cuban army if only his life 
would be spared. It was impossible not to pity the 
poor fellow and his young wife. He urged me to 
speak in his behalf, and, though I had made my mind 
up not to interfere between the belligerents, I spoke 
to Tomas Estrada in favor of the major's life being 
spared. Notwithstanding his own griefs against the 
Spaniards, he used his influence to obtain mercy for 
the prisoner. One of the officers in my presence re- 
called to Estrada his mother's barbarous murder, when 
he made the noble reply, " My mother's memory is 
too sacred to be defiled by a thought of vengeance." 
It struck me as one of the noblest sentiments I ever 
heard, and made me esteem Tomas Estrada even more 
than I had esteemed him before. Next day, however, 
General Diaz took me aside, and explained many rea- 
sons why this man could not with safety be spared, 
and, in view of the gravity of the circumstances, I did 
not think myself justified in further interfering. My in- 
terference also was liable to misapprehension, as it was 
evident that being about to return to the Spanish lines 
I was interested in clemency being shown to the pris- 
oner, lest in retaliation the Spaniards should shoot me. 



2 go THE MAMBI-LAND. 

The addition of some six hundred souls to the camp 
of El Macho made it necessary to organize expedi- 
tions to procure food. The newly-deserted volunteers 
seemed to fall naturally into the way of life of the 
veteran Mambis, and as they had brought with them 
some two hundred horses of various qualities, a hun- 
dred mounted men were dispatched to the deserted 
encampment of Punta Piedra, to carry off whatever 
provisions had been left behind. This was accom- 
plished after a smart skirmish between the volunteers 
and the Spanish troops. 

Two days passed before the officer in charge of the 
commissionarios came into camp, and he brought news 
that sealed the prisoner's fate. General Rubalcaba, 
who was captured in a temporary hospital, had been 
shot by the republican government, and it was resolved 
to retaliate on the Spanish major. Next morning a 
court-martial, composed of three officers, was assem- 
bled, and the prisoner was brought before it under 
guard. One of the Cuban officers defended him; and, 
after the rules of war condemning prisoners to death 
were read, he was allowed to speak in his own defense, 
and also produce any witnesses who could show reason 
why mercy should be extended to him. Like most 
court-martials, however, it was a mere matter of form. 
The accused was a Spanish soldier, had fought against 
the Cubans and been wounded in different engage- 
ments, and he was a prisoner of war ; by Cuban law 
such crimes deserve death. As the anxiety of the 
prisoner was very painful, I left the shed where the 
court-martial was progressing, and, in company with 
the son of General Diaz, went down the river, which 
flowed near the encampment, to bathe. As the day 



IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 



29I 



was very sultry we enjoyed our swim very much, and 
had forgotten all about the poor prisoner. We were 
chatting, while dressing, with some other officers 
whom we met, also bathing, when a volley of mus- 
ketry broke the stillness of the afternoon, and was fol- 
lowed by one or two dropping shots and the screams of 
terrified women. For a moment we thought the camp 
was surprised, and a soldier was dispatched to inquire 
into the cause of the firing. We hurriedly completed 
our dressing ; but, as the firing was not renewed, we be- 
gan to think that it must have been some of the troops 
discharging their arms to clean them. However, we 
returned quickly in the direction of the camp, and 
met the soldier, who informed us that it was only 
the Spanish major being executed, — only a man shot. 
Such a trifle appeared of no moment to the man, but 
an involuntary shudder passed through me as I re- 
membered that scarcely half an hour had passed since 
I left a human being in the full enjoyment of life, and 
that on my return I would find him a mangled heap 
of matter; but — it was only a man shot. 

We hurried back to the camp, and when we arrived 
near the place of execution the Cuban battalions had 
just completed the march past the dead body, and 
were forming up to listen to an address from For- 
naris y Cespedes, the Secretary of the Cuban Con- 
gress. It was a strange sight to watch the orator 
speaking in impassioned words to his soldier audience 
in presence of the dead Spaniard, who lay stiff and 
motionless in his torn and bloody garments, staring 
vacantly at the sky, while a group of women and boys 
who, in life, had feared him, gathered at a little dis- 
tance, gazed half pityingly, and with something of 



292 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



terror in their looks, at the mangled corpse. At the 
conclusion of the address the soldiers sent up the 
patriotic cry, "Viva Cuba Libre, y muere Espana/" 
and then slowly marched off to their quarters, leaving 
the poor corpse to blister in the sun. 

The execution had taken place on a cleared space 
on the top of a slight hill in the centre of the camp. 
The victim had been placed against the stump of a 
tree, and, when the firing-party delivered their volley, 
had fallen backwards, and died without a struggle. 
The aim of the men had been true, and every bullet 
had struck the major. It was better so; his death 
must have been instantaneous, and, save a convulsive 
action of the hands, there was no evidence of pain. It 
was a sad sight, and I turned away with a shudder 
from the dead man, lying cold and pallid in the bright 
sunshine, to such quietness and solitude as the camp 
would afford me. 

This incident was unpleasantly suggestive of what 
my own fate might be, and showed me very clearly 
that little humanity or forgiveness was to be expected 
from men hardened by such scenes to human suffer- 
ing. Next day I was to leave the Cuban camp on my 
way to the Spanish lines, with the sentence of death, 
pronounced in advance, hanging over me. "If you 

ARE TAKEN IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP, OR GOING TO IT, 
OR RETURNING FROM IT, YOU WILL BE SHOT AS A SPY." 

Such was the terrible " advertencia" of Brigadier Mo- 
rales de los Rios. Would it be carried out ? Would 
the Spaniards, when they learned the death of the 
major, shoot me in retaliation ? These were some of 
the thoughts suggested by the sight of the dead sol- 
dier. Next morning would find me on my way to what 



IN THE CAMP OF MODESTO DIAZ. 2 Q"' 

most of the Cubans considered certain death. In the 
midst of these gloomy thoughts an officer came to tell 
me that in the evening there would be a grand baile, 
in commemoration of the desertion of the Congo vol- 
unteers and as a send-off for myself. In a few hours 
the execution was forgotten, and only the blood- 
stained ground and the bullet-scarred tree-trunk re- 
mained to mark the tragedy. 



2 S' 



CHAPTER XIX. 

RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 

Adieu to the Mambi-Land— Capturing Wild Cattle — Night March in 
the Woods — Levying Contributions — Camped near the Spanish Out- 
posts — An Unpleasant Rencontre — Arrival in Manzanillo — Presen- 
tation to Consul — Scene in Caballo Blanco — Visit the Governor of 
the Town — My Arrest — Sent to Fort Geron: — My Quarters — The 
Military Inquisition — -Brought before Court-martial at Night — 
Alarmed — Four Hundred Thousand Dollars for Cespedes, Dead or 
Alive — Guarded at Sight — The Reign of Terror in Prison — Sentinel 
placed in my Cell — Government offers to bribe me — Arrival of 
British Gunboat — Spanish Authorities change Tactics — Bound with 
Ropes and shipped to Manzanillo. 

The moment at last arrived for taking leave of the 
Cuban patriots, who overwhelmed me with protesta- 
tions of friendship and regard. It is wonderful in what 
a short time strong, hearty friendships grow up in the 
wild Mambi-Land, where the hollow conventionalities 
of civilized life are laid aside, and men abandon them- 
selves to their natural impulses of love and hate with 
a fervor unknown to the dull, plodding life of civiliza- 
tion. It was not without sincere regret I parted from 
men whom I had learned to respect and admire. In 
my short stay among the Cuban patriots I formed many 
warm and lasting friendships. A guard of twenty men 
were selected to accompany me to a point close to 
the Spanish outposts. This dangerous service was 
intrusted to Captain Rodriguez, a young and dashing 
officer belonging to the staff of Modesto Diaz, and a 
294 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



295 



great favorite with the general. General Diaz and 
his son, Fornaris y Cespedes, Tomas Estrada, and a 
number of Cuban officers rode with me for some 
miles from the camp, where we bade a final adieu to 
each other in a stirrup-cup which the general had 
procured for the occasion. Our parting took place in 
a wide road in the forest ; the general and his friends 
rode back to camp, and, as they reached a point where 
the road turned at a sharp angle, they waved a last 
adieu. 

The road taken by my escort lay through the woods 
which partially cover the level country lying between 
the mountains and the town of Manzanillo. Large 
tracts were quite bare of timber, and in crossing these 
we ran considerable danger of discovery by the guer- 
rillas of the enemy. In order to avoid entering the 
cultivated zone before nightfall, we halted for a short 
time in an abandoned plantation, where Ave lunched. 
When about half-way to Manzanillo, a herd of wild 
cattle was discovered quietly grazing in a large sa- 
vanna ; the wind blowing towards us prevented the 
animals from noticing our presence. After a short con- 
sultation it was resolved to endeavor to capture some 
of the herd. It would not be safe to use our fire-arms, 
lest we should alarm some hostile party in the neigh- 
borhood. Myself and Captain Rodriguez were the 
only mounted men of the party. We surrendered our 
horses to two of the most skillful hunters of the party. 
Their preparations were soon made. Two lassos were 
forthcoming, and away the men rode in the shade of 
the trees, in order to get as close to the browsing ani- 
mals as possible. Although they were fully two miles 
away, in the centre of the savanna, the hunters were 



296 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



perfectly confident that they could catch one or more 
of them. The two men had not long disappeared in 
the woods when it became evident that their presence 
was noticed, and several of the older and more wary 
of the cattle moved in the direction of the woods. 
Very soon the herd scattered in every direction. This 
was the signal for the horsemen to break cover, and a 
most exciting chase began. The cattle ran with won- 
derful swiftness, and it began to be doubtful whether 
or not the hunters would succeed. After a chase of 
some five miles a young heifer was lassoed by the man 
who had my horse. The heifer was not more than 
three years old, and was in splendid condition. It was 
soon dispatched, and in a few minutes six or seven of 
the men were working away with the dexterity of ac- 
complished butchers skinning the unfortunate victim. 
In less than a quarter of an hour the carcass was cut 
up conveniently, and divided among the escort, who 
marched along merrily, cheered by the prospect of a 
good supper. 

Night had fallen before we reached the cultivated 
zone, and we were obliged to use torches marching 
through a stretch of wood where the trail was much 
encumbered by felled logs that lay rotting on the 
ground. The scene was remarkably picturesque as 
the glare of some seven or eight torches lighted up 
the gloom of the forest, and gave the trees and foliage 
a weird, fantastic effect. We were now quite close to 
the cultivated zone, and on either hand there were 
Spanish advanced posts behind us ; but the escort 
marched on without the least hesitation, apparently 
feeling quite confident that whatever might happen 
they were well able to take care of themselves. I did 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



297 



not at all share their sense of security. The critical 
moment was fast approaching when my life would have 
to be placed in the power of men not accustomed to 
show much mercy. They had warned me fairly that 
if I visited the insurgent camp and returned, I should 
be shot as a spy. In defiance of that threat I had 
gone into the Mambi-Land, and now I was on my way 
back to place myself in the power of the Spaniards, 
and the question unceasingly suggested itself, What 
would they do with me ? Would they shoot me, or 
let me go ? It was a riddle no one could solve. 

The first point reached was a small fiuca, or planta- 
tion, where we refreshed ourselves with sugar-cane. 
There was a large quantity of tobacco hung up to dry, 
and the party supplied themselves freely. There was, 
however, no attempt to injure the shed, or to confiscate 
the stock, as the plantation belonged to a friend. It 
was situated outside the lines, and the owner and his 
workmen retired behind the pickets every night, so 
that there was not much fear of interruption. 

Resuming our march, we reached about two o'clock 
in the morning a thick wood, into the centre of which 
we made our way with a good deal of difficulty, care 
being taken to cover up our tracks as much as possi- 
ble. With this object every man entered the wood at 
a different point, so as to leave no trail. W T e were now 
within a mile of the outlying Spanish pickets, and the 
least indiscretion might lead to the death of the whole 
party. A scout was sent to find out how the sentries 
were posted, and was fired on by some very wide- 
awake picket. He escaped, however, unhurt. It was 
not considered prudent to pursue further investigations 
that night. Much to my surprise the party lighted 



298 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



fires to roast meat and prepare coffee. When I re- 
marked on the danger of the proceeding, the officers 
simply said that even if the fires were seen the soldiers 
would take us for negro shepherds, or watchmen 
guarding the crops. This scarcely satisfied me ; but, 
of course, it was not my place to make any further 
remark, so after supper I turned into my hammock, 
and was soon fast asleep. One man was supposed to 
keep watch over us to prevent surprise, but I am per- 
suaded that he was snoring away like the rest of us, 
though we might be said to be sleeping at the very 
muzzle of Spanish guns. It was not thought advisa- 
ble that I should go into Manzanillo, on account of the 
sentry having alarmed the post I would have to pass 
by ; so next day was passed slung up in our ham- 
mocks, keeping as quiet as we could. We were all in 
want of the rest ; and I improved the opportunity to 
get thoroughly instructed in all the windings of the 
road I would have to follow to reach Manzanillo, which 
was yet some ten miles away. All my property was 
distributed to friends according to their necessities. 
My machete which I carried during the expedition I 
sent as a present to General Calisto Garcia Ihiguez as 
a token of esteem and friendship. 

It was astonishing to see the coolness of my escort. 
We were almost within hail of the Spanish pickets, 
and should we be discovered our destruction would be 
almost certain ; but the men smoked their cigarettes,* 
made out of the tobacco we had appropriated on the 
march, and conversed in a quiet way without appear- 
ing in the least bit nervous. For myself, I was too 
much occupied examining my own prospects to trouble 
much about our common safety. The remembrance 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 2 gg 

of the court-martial on the Spanish major suggested 
unpleasant reflections, and somehow the picture of the 
dead officer lying cold and bloody, staring with mean- 
ingless eyes at the noonday sun, would come back 
vividly to my imagination. The prospect of being 
taken out and shot was certainly not cheering ; but, as 
I had made up my mind to go through the Spanish 
lines at all hazards, it was necessary to brace one's self 
up to the sticking-point. More than once I was in- 
clined to abandon the idea of returning to New York. 
It seemed so much safer to merely send on the letters 
by the laborantes and join the Cuban forces. Such a 
course would undoubtedly have been less dangerous 
than to surrender myself to the Spanish authorities, 
but as I had entered the Cuban lines as a neutral, 
after mature consideration I decided that it was more 
honorable to leave as a neutral, and accept the risk 
of surrendering to the Spaniards. 

Long before daybreak the little party had bestirred 
themselves, and, as I turned out of my Mambi ham- 
mock for the last time, the welcome odor of coffee 
came to me on the morning air. It was still dark, but 
the first faint light-streaks announced approaching 
day. There was little time to spare, as it was neces- 
sary to approach close to the Spanish posts under 
favor of the twilight, and take the chances of passing 
unchallenged. The hope of doing so depended on 
approaching unperceived so close that when seen, as 
I inevitably would be, the sentries might mistake me 
for some one connected with the neighboring ingenios 
or posts. In order to have as little the look of a 
Mambi traveler as possible I had prepared a perfectly 
clean suit of white linen, which contrasted strangely 



300 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



enough with the discolored straw hat which was my 
only head-gear. Having donned this suit, and par- 
taken of coffee, I bade the members of the escort 
farewell, and set out on my journey to the Spanish 
lines. Captain Rodriguez and the officer of the com- 
missionaries accompanied me to the edge of the wood, 
where I took leave of them. It was agreed that the 
escort would wait twenty-four hours until word reached 
them of my fate. In case I should be discovered by 
the pickets, it was my intention to resist capture and 
endeavor to rejoin the escort. These details having 
been agreed upon, the Cuban officers left me in charge 
of a practico, or soldier well acquainted with the coun- 
try, who accompanied me to the road which led to 
the Spanish outposts, where he shook hands with me, 
and wished me God-speed, then returning to rejoin the 
escort. 

Less than a mile away I could see two massive-look- 
ing buildings on either side of the road. They were 
ingenios, occupied by troops, and my road lay between 
them. It was at this time daylight, and the sun was 
rising rapidly in the east. Long before I could reach 
the outposts he would have risen far above the hori- 
zon. At first sight this appeared to be a disadvantage, 
but in fact it was not. The night-pickets had been 
withdrawn from the roads ; the sentinels, tired out 
with their night watch, were drowsy and inattentive, 
and were distracted by the overseers and workingmen 
moving out to work on the different plantations. Still, 
my heart beat quickly as I moved into the road be- 
tween the two posts, and groups of soldiers and work- 
ingmen stopped to look at me. Fortunately, they were 
some distance away, and the whiteness of my clothes 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



301 



and the assumed carelessness of my air cheated them 
into the belief that I was some overseer who had been 
looking after cattle or some other matter concerned with 
the plantation. When I found that no one stopped 
me, and that now I was actually within the Spanish 
lines, my breath came more freely, and hope dawned 
that in the end my attempt would be successful. At 
this point let me pause to take breath. If a man 
always understood the full danger of his acts, how 
much some lives would be changed ! It is quite true 
that I had a vague feeling that if any of the patrols 
or outposts made me prisoner, I might be shot, but 
it was far from being a conviction. Some lurking faith 
in the chivalry of the Spanish nation unconsciously 
affected my resolution, and I half pooh-poohed the 
shooting idea under any circumstances. Trained in 
the liberal opinions of republican Europe, I have an 
almost indestructible faith in humanity, and it is well- 
nigh impossible for me to believe in wanton barbarity, 
or that men will slaughter for the pleasure of slaying. 
Notwithstanding this generous faith, it is satisfactory 
to me that the Spanish outposts took no notice of the 
strange-looking man that walked by them in the open 
day, endeavoring to appear as unconcerned as possible, 
but whose heart pumped so nervously that its beatings 
were distinctly audible. 

At intervals along the road I encountered groups of 
men going to their labors. For the most part these 
people saluted me politely, though my appearance evi- 
dently struck them as strange. This was far from 
reassuring, and as soon as they were well out of sight 
I lengthened my pace, so as to get over the ground as 
quickly as possible without running. Several small 



302 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

detachments of troops scattered along the road caused 
me much uneasiness, but fortunately for me the posts 
were at some distance from the highway, so that no 
difficulty was experienced in passing them. 

On one occasion, while walking through a hollow 
road that runs by one of these posts, I suddenly came 
against a soldier on sentry. This meeting was so un- 
expected as almost to make me lose my presence of 
mind. Instinctively my hand sought my revolver, 
while I felt the strongest mixture of fear and ferocity 
take possession of me. I was frightened ; there is no 
doubt of that. The bitterness of failure, and the dan- 
ger of being shot as a spy, flashed through my mind 
like lightning. My resolution was taken on the in- 
stant. If the soldier challenged I would shoot him, 
and make my way back to the escort. Fortunately, 
the soldier took no notice of me, and I pretended to 
take none of him ; not even the customary salutation 
was exchanged between us. Evidently my face did 
not betray my feelings to the soldier, but when I had 
left him a hundred yards behind drops of cold sweat 
were standing out on my forehead. A cur dog next 
drew the attention of some mobilized Cuban volunteers 
on me, but one of them called off the dog, and I pro- 
ceeded in peace. The town was now close at hand, 
and nothing further worthy of note occurred until the 
outskirts of Manzanillo were reached. Groups of 
worthless, two-legged curs loafing about the dram- 
shops, waiting for their " morning," were my next 
source of anxiety, and had I possessed a magician's 
wand I would have turned them into London cab- 
nags ; but as this supernatural power was not mine I 
avoided them as much as possible, and after a series 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 303 

of zigzags reached the harbor, where the office of the 
British Vice-Consul was situated. 

Groups of custom-house officials were engaged over- 
seeing the discharges of the two or three melancholy- 
looking vessels moored at the long wharves ; and, as I 
passed by, they looked at me in a lazy, sleepy kind of 
fashion, but without interfering with my progress or 
asking any questions. Not that they were very busy ; 
for it appeared to me that there were more official 
superintendents than there were workers. A few min- 
utes later the harbor of refuge was reached, and I read 
the words of salvation, "British Vice-Consulate," with 
more pleasure than I ever read any announcement of 
the kind before. 

Mr. William Lauten, the representative of the power 
and majesty of Great Britain, was in his office, and, 
on my inquiring for the consul, a large, grave-looking 
man, somewhat resembling Kaiser William, informed 
me in English, but with a slight German accent, that 
he was that dignitary. Having explained to him that 
I was traveling with a British passport, and that I 
wanted my papers arranged to enable me to proceed 
to Havana, I handed him my passport, and also my 
cedilla, informing him that I was the special corre- 
spondent of the New York Herald, and that I wished 
him to accompany me to the governor of the town, 
to whom it was my intention " to present myself." Mr. 
Lauten replied that he thought there would be no 
difficulty, saying that he would first present my papers, 
and that if the governor desired to see me, we would 
afterwards go to sec him together. 

With this understanding we separated, Mr. Lauten 
advising me to take up my quarters in the " Caballo 



304 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



Blanco" until noontime, when the Havana steamer 
would arrive. 

As I had arrived from the manigna without any- 
thing that could stand in the place of a wardrobe, and 
the clothes I wore bore patent evidence of my travels 
in Cuba Libre, my first care was to visit the various 
shops of the town in order to modify, as much as 
possible, my costume, so as to look as much like the ' 
rest of the inhabitants as possible. A shirt-collar at 
one place, a hat in another, and a few other trifles of 
this nature, combined with a barbering, succeeded in 
restoring me to the dead level of a mere civilized 
human being. 

I was congratulating myself on the transformation 
when I came in sight of the famous " Caballo Blanco," 
which presented the appearance of one of those dirty 
dram-shops which one meets with in the poorest quar- 
ters of French towns. There was a small bar and a 
very large billiard-table, with a couple of greasy- 
looking marble tables occupying the space between. 
Although it was not much past seven o'clock a.m., a 
number of Spanish officers were deeply occupied in 
their usual intellectual exercise of making the little 
ivory balls strike against one another. To see the 
joy spread over the faces of these bearded men at a 
more than usually lucky stroke, one would naturally 
doubt that persons who pass whole days in such 
innocent amusement could be capable of committing 
deliberate crimes against humanity. Such sportive 
joy seemed inconsistent with a disregard for the 
rights of a stranger such as would not be shown by a 
savage tribe in Africa. Encouraged by these delusive 
appearances, I entered the " Caballo Blanco" with that 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



305 



confidence which is the sorrowful heritage of the in- 
genuous. 

The effect of my appearance was electric. Every 
eye was turned on the intruder in a fiercely inquisitive 
manner. The signs of good nature and innocent 
contentment disappeared like magic, and I found 
myself the centre of observation of various groups 
of scowling pandours. Even the loved billiard-balls 
were neglected for a moment, and I was inspected 
with unpleasant minuteness. The situation was a 
trying one. A person of more nerve than I lay claim 
to might well confess to a certain palpitation of the 
heart under the hostile gaze of those terrible Span- 
iards. It was impossible to retreat without exposing 
one's self to annihilation, so I advanced with what ap- 
pearance of courage and indifference I could muster 
to a table which was unoccupied. Having knocked 
on the marble surface several times without eliciting 
any response, I turned in the direction of the bar to 
see why no one was attending to me. The waiters 
were in a state of suspended animation in view of the 
terrible aspect of the senores officiates, and were abso- 
lutely afraid to approach me. 

It was evident that this would not do ; so, muster- 
ing the small amount of courage left me, I knocked 
again on the table vigorously and whistled for the 
waiter. Indignation overcame my natural timidity, 
and I must have looked the impersonation of ferocity, 
for the waiter advanced in double-quick time to take 
my order. In the mean time I thought it would be 
well to do a little of the Bombastes Furioso. Half 
turning in the direction of a group of officers, who 
were presided over by a small, black-looking man, 

26* 



306 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



with black beard and moustache cut after the fashion 
of the Spanish muleteer, I looked as fiercely as I could. 
This person appeared the very impersonation of " the 
terribly awful ;" and I confess to a feeling of satisfac- 
tion that it was daylight and that I was the possessor 
of a revolver when I met his withering glances. It is 
even now a matter of surprise that this terrible person 
did not cause my death from fright ; but the fates 
would have it otherwise. As I looked at him steadily, 
and, I flatter myself, somewhat menacingly, this Don 
Whiskerandos turned white and green, and I know 
not how many other colors. It was evident his feroc- 
ity was rising to the extinguishing point, and I was 
thinking of consulting my safety by flight when the 
portentous person of the Vice-Consul loomed in sight. 

This diversion gave me a momentary relief, but it 
was of short duration. An invitation to take " the 
morning" was declined by the Consul, who informed 
me that the governor was particularly anxious to 
see me. Don Whiskerandos was known to the 
Consul, and joined the party without any invitation, 
accompanying us to the house of the governor, 
who was waiting to receive us. What a reception ! 
Senor Don Aristides de Santalis, a lieutenant-colonel 
in the army and temporary governor of the town, is 
a person above the medium height, and not at all 
ferocious in aspect. On the contrary, being fair, 
with regular features, he might claim to be rather 
good-looking, if he were so inclined. On presenting 
myself to this official he looked at me with lofty 
severity. 

"Your name is James J. O'Kelly, a newspaper cor- 
respondent," he said, in a tone of voice that left no 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



307 



doubt how the unfortunate O'K. was regarded by au- 
thority. Having confessed that I was guilty of the 
name of O'Kelly and newspaper correspondentism, I 
added for the governor's information that I had just 
arrived from the insurgent lines {campo insurrecto). 

"Then you shall go to the fort," replied the 
Spanish Aristides, drawing himself up to his full 
height, and motioning with his hand in the direction 
of Gerona. The aspect of the governor at this mo- 
ment recalled my boyish notions of Jupiter command- 
ing the gods, and will always be associated in my 
mind with the idea of the "grandly awful." It is 
wonderful how much human nature can bear. The 
scene in the " Caballo Blanco" had almost used up 
the last shred of courage which I possessed, but this 
new outrage, instead of killing me off, as it ought in 
mercy to have done, only gave me courage to suffer 
more. Indignant with this Manzanillian Jove, I told 
him it " was well," which was one of the blackest lies 
I ever told in my life. 

No motive was assigned for my arrest, and as I had 
heard so much about summary executions, the thought 
came to me that it would be well to secure my note-books 
by handing them over to the Vice-Consul. The gover- 
nor insisted that they should be given to him. This I 
declined, and told him that he would have to take them 
by force. He assured me that force would be resorted 
to, and dispatched Don Whiskerandos for assistance. 
Under these circumstances I gave up the note-books, 
and all other papers I had with me, among them a 
letter of courtesy from Carlos Manuel de Cespedes to 
Mr. James Gordon Bennett, and another letter to the 
same gentleman from Scrior Fornaris y Cespedes, one 



3 oS 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



of the Secretaries of the Cuban Congress. On reflec- 
tion, the crovernor said the British Vice-Consul could 
seal the papers, but that they would remain in the 
hands of the authorities. 

Having descended to earth, the " grandly awful" 
proposed a drink, and, having no objection,* both the 
Consul and myself consented smilingly. I requested 
the Vice-Consul to telegraph immediately to the 
British Consul-General the facts of my arrest, and the 
Governor promised that it should be sent immediately, 
a promise which he did not consider himself obliged 
to keep. As the Spanish officials do not pay the 
slightest heed to the representations of the consular 
agents, and only allow them to telegraph just what is 
agreeable to the Spanish government, a man in my 
position has just the amount of advice and help from 
the representatives of his government that the people 
in power choose to permit. Not a single telegram was 
allowed to pass during my detention except at the 
pleasure of the governor, so that it was impossible for 
me to inform my friends of my exact position and 
danger. 

As soon as the formality of sealing up my papers 
had been gone through, and the drinks ordered by the 
governor had been disposed of, I was escorted by Don 
Whiskerandos and another officer of the army to Fort 
Gerona. On inquiry, I found that Don Whiskerandos 
was captain of the plaza, a kind of official combining 
the duties of policeman and aid-de-camp. After this 
person's conduct in the " Caballo Blanco," it is need- 
less to say that there were no very fine compliments 
exchanged on the way. 

There are never many people in the streets of a 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. <, g 

Cuban town, but the few scattered groups on th : 
principal square through which we passed stared in- 
quiringly at me, and the curiosity of the inhabitants 
on the line of march was evidently very much excited 
by the last Spanish capture. Most of the inhabitants 
of Cuban origin being connected with the insurgents 
by blood as well as by sympathy, naturally feel an in- 
terest in all prisoners, which they are very careful not 
to manifest too openly, for fear of rendering themselves 
suspected. It is, therefore, not to be wondered at that 
my person was scanned eagerly from many a window, 
and that every one who encountered us did me the 
honor to stare at me as though I was a new specimen 
being conducted to a museum. 

The fierce rays of the sun beat down on us as we 
walked up the steep hill which leads to the fort, and 
when we arrived at the top a mean-looking brick 
building confronted us. It had ominous loop-holed 
flanking defenses, and was surrounded by a ditch 
about twelve feet wide, crossed by a rude drawbridge, 
that is raised every night so that no enterprising 
Mambi can sneak in. Four cannon carrying twelve- 
pound shot are mounted on the ramparts. The fort 
is garrisoned by about fifty men, and is the chief depot 
for the arms and munitions of war stored in Manza- 
nillo. It was originally a hospital, but on account 
of its commanding position it was turned into a fort 
at the outbreak of the insurrection. It contains a 
governor, who is an officer in the artillery corps, and 
some ten artillerymen as permanent garrison. This 
force is strengthened by a detachment of infantry, 
which is changed every day. In this country the fort 
is a place of importance, but some of our folks would 



3io 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



be inclined to laugh at the idea of calling such a place 
as this a fort. On my arrival, I was handed over to 
the governor, and accommodated with a share of the 
calabozo. 

When I had time to examine my new quarters, 
I found for companions another of the human species 
and several rabbits. The stench of the place was hor- 
rible. A sorrowful impression immediately took pos- 
session of my mind, that in case I escaped death from 
asphyxia I would certainly fall a victim to the yellow 
fever. 

Turning my attention to my companion in captivity, 
I found that he was worth while studying. It would 
have been difficult at the first glance to decide his 
nationality or vocation. He was of the mongrel kind, 
— a mixture of a navvy and an organ-grinder : the 
head Italian, the paunch decidedly British, and, taken 
all in all, not a bad specimen of the biped kind. When 
I fixed my attention on him he was seated on the 
wooden banquette before a kind of stool, which, with 
the exception of a settle-bed, was the only piece of 
furniture in the cell. While I was still trying to make 
out what manner of man he might be, and what the 
chances were of his cutting my throat during the 
night, if he were so advised, he suddenly began to 
telegraph in a most energetic style. My curiosity 
being aroused, I approached him, and asked him if he 
were learning to be a telegraphist. He replied that 
he was. The ice was now broken, and he showed me 
an ingenious telegraphing machine which he had con- 
structed out of sundry pieces of zinc, brass, and wood. 
It worked admirably, and my fellow-prisoner took 
immense delight in displaying his dexterity as a tele- 



RETURN TO THE SRANISH LINES. 



311 



graphist, as well as the effectiveness of his machine, 
of which he was naturally very proud. He was a 
soldier of the sanitary corps, and had been in prison 
more than six months on the charge of having com- 
mitted a forgery. 

No doubt, in the minds of intelligent Spanish 
officers, the companionship seemed quite appropriate. 
Indeed, it is not certain that they did not think a 
forger too good an associate for a newspaper corre- 
spondent. 

These " illustrious swords," as Castelar ironically 
calls them, hate nothing so much as a newspaper, ex- 
cept the writers, and would willingly employ their 
" illustrious" blades in wiping the editorial class out 
of existence. The sense of newspaper power seems 
to aggravate them, for they feel that the wounds of a 
pen are incurable. These men, whose swords are for 
auction, hate correspondents and editors the more 
intensely because they know that " illustrious swords" 
are powerless against the force of an idea. Before I 
crossed the Spanish lines, and while they imagined 
that I did not understand the value of their " illus- 
trious swords," these men protested a love and rever- 
ence for the press, and a desire for light on this Cuban 
question, which might have persuaded a person less 
incredulous than I am. But when I returned, and 
they knew that I had learned the secret history of the 
Cuban campaigns, about which we have heard so much 
exaggeration and bombast, they would willingly have 
quenched the light with my blood. There were ex- 
ceptions, honorable exceptions ; but the hatred of the 
light was pretty general. One fellow, who disgraced 
a soldier's uniform, told me that he thought I was 



312 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



much worse than an insurgent chief, and that I ought 
to be treated with corresponding severity. 

It was very fortunate for me that there were other 
considerations to be taken into account as well as the 
wishes and passions of the "illustrious swords" and 
their jackals the volunteers. Shut off from all com- 
munication with my friends for the first four days, my 
position was far from reassuring. No notice was given 
me that the telegram cf the Vice-Consul had been 
detained, and the failure to receive a reply from any 
quarter increased my anxiety as to the measures the 
authorities were prepared to take in my regard. Hav- 
ing ventured to defy public opinion by arresting me, 
there was no longer any security that they would not 
go further to justify their first step. 

It would be difficult to convey to the minds of the 
people accustomed to the public administration of 
justice, and enjoying numberless safeguards against 
the abuse of power, even a faint idea of the mental 
suffering to which one who finds himself in the hands 
of men practically irresponsible may be exposed. All 
confidence in the loyalty and chivalry of Spanish 
officials was dissipated by my arrest and by the aspect 
of the men with whom I came into contact. Extreme 
precautions were taken by the authorities lest I should 
escape, which had the effect of convincing me that my 
case was serious. It would be difficult, if not impos- 
sible, to convey to those who are unacquainted with 
Cuba, and the manner in which a war of mutual ven- 
geance is waged, the feeling of apprehension which 
oppressed me. 

Life is no more considered than if it were a thing 
of no value, and, under the pretense of fulfilling the 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. o\-y 

law. the most revolting severity is practiced by the 
belligerents. It is true that I was not in any way 
mixed up with the mutual slaughter that goes on un- 
ceasingly, but the same right which justified my arrest 
would easily excuse my assassination. Once a man 
is dead, it is easy to invent motives to justify his exe- 
cution ; and what I had seen of consular representa- 
tion left me but little faith either in its efficacy or its 
disinterestedness. Had I been shot at the outposts, it is 
even possible that no one would have heard of my death, 
which would have been registered after the stereotyped 
fashion, " At such a point a man fit to bear arms was 
killed by the troops." That, in all probability, would 
have been my elegy. Knowing this, it is not surprising 
that the first days of my prison-life were days of suffer- 
ing and terrible anxiety. It is a theory of mine that 
most men die bravely when death is inevitable, but the 
bravest man will shrink from an obscure and unhonored 
gn.ve when no principle is involved in his dying. To 
fall a victim to the savage passions of brutal soldiers, 
with the certainty that one's death will pass unnoticed 
and unavenged, is the saddest fate that can present it- 
self to the Imagination of a human being. It may be 
thought that these fears were exaggerated. All that I 
can say is, that those who think so ought to visit Cuba 
and mix among all classes as I did; perhaps they would 
then find those fears very natural. 

The second day of my imprisonment the governor 
of the fort came into my cell accompanied by a man 
who was introduced to me as a captain in the Spanish 
service. Like many others, he was a prisoner awaiting 
trial for some breach of discipline. His appearance 
did not impress me very favorably ; he had a false, in- 

27 



3H 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



sincere face, which was rendered still more disagree- 
able by a squint in the left eye, and an unpleasant 
habit of looking at the person he was talking to with 
the squint-eye, while the honest, straight one was en- 
gaged taking surveys in a totally different direction. 
In order to establish a chord of sympathy, he told me 
that although originally belonging to the regular army, 
he had also been an editor, and had been sent to 
prison for some over-truthful statements about the 
governor of the town. The man was not calculated 
to win much sympathy. His lean figure, and some- 
what melancholy face, joined with the squint-eye, sug- 
gested near relationship with the melancholy Knight 
of La Mancha, .but his practical views of life showed 
that he was rather a disciple of the worthy squire 
Sancho Panza. After talking a good deal, and he 
talked well, about my position, the possible actions of 
the courts, and adroitly trying to worm some informa- 
tion out of me about the insurgents, he touched on 
the object of his visit. He commenced by saying he 
would give a good deal to be in my position, and that 
if he were he would soon be a rich man. Having put 
out this feeler, he remained silent for some time, and 
as I made no reply he repeated what he had said. My 
first impulse had been to order the fellow out of my 
cell, but a second's reflection showed me that such a 
course might cost me my life ; so I resolved to wait 
developments. Time was what I wanted. No word 
had yet reached me from any quarter, and if I de- 
stroyed all hope of the government turning me to 
profit, my execution might be ordered immediately. 
It was necessary to have patience ; time was life. 
These thoughts shot through my mind in the mo- 



RETURN TO THE SRAXISII LEYES. 



315 



mentary pause of my visitor's conversation. We were 
alone, for the governor had seized some excuse almost 
as soon as the introduction had been gone through to 
retire. This was the first time any one was allowed 
to speak freely with me without the presence of my 
jailers. This man who came to tempt me was sharp, 
keen, and remarkably adroit ; he was well informed 
too, and could talk well. Unlike all the others who 
had spoken to me, he endeavored to calm my fears as 
to my possible fate. If nothing further could be 
proved against me than having visited the insurgent 
lines as a newspaper correspondent, he said my resto- 
ration to liberty would no doubt be prompt ; and then 
he expressed his private opinion that any other course 
would be an act of barbarism unworthy of the great 
Spanish nation. Now all these professions of liberal- 
ity, spoken glibly, and with the manner and air of a 
man of the world, did not deceive me. If I had been 
weak enough to pay much attention to such palaver, 
that false squint-eye, looking at me with a dull, ser- 
pent-like regard, would have warned me to beware. 

While the captain was speaking I was mentally re- 
solving what course would be the best to pursue. He 
was angling cleverly, and to have nibbled the bait 
thrown out might have aroused his suspicions ; so 
when he repeated the assertion about my becoming 
suddenly rich, I simply told him that I did not see the 
opportunity of which he spoke, at the same time allow- 
ing myself to make a naive confession that it would 
not be at all displeasing to me to become rich. When 
I said this the dull squint-eye actually lighted up and 
flashed ; the captain thought the bait had been swal- 
lowed, and was mentally congratulating himself on his 



316 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



victory. So was I, for it was evident the captain had 
fallen into his own trap, and was about to enable me 
to fight the authorities with their own weapons. At 
this moment the governor of the fort appeared and 
carried off my visitor, who requested me at parting to 
think seriously over what he had said to me. This 
was quite unnecessary, and I was glad when the pair 
were gone, so that I might lay plans for my future 
action. It was a dangerous game to play with the 
authorities, but it was of the utmost importance that I 
should be able to gain time, so as to communicate with 
Havana. To give the authorities hopes of gaining 
important information offered the very best means of 
restraining any precipitate action on their part, and I 
resolved that this captain, with all his cunning, should 
help me to gain the delay I wanted. Some bodies 
politic are wise enough to desire ardently the conver- 
sion of enemies into friends, but the military oligarchy 
that, unfortunately for themselves and for Spain, rule 
the destinies of Cuba, by their folly, force well-disposed 
neutrals into a position of hostility. The more that 
is seen of Spanish government the less one likes it. 
My experience disenchanted me of many absurd pre- 
possessions in its favor. Under the pretense of fulfill- 
ing the law, I was mystified and terrorized while a 
prisoner in a way that, for the sake of common hu- 
manity, it is to be hoped would be impossible in any 
other country pretending to be civilized. 

On my third day in prison there was an encounter 
with the insurgents somewhere in the neighborhood. 
This news was withheld from me by order, but it 
leaked out bit by bit. My first observation that some- 
thing unusual had happened was founded on the tern- 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



317 



porary withdrawal of the regular soldiers from the 
fort, which was occupied for one day by the volunteers. 
These gentry did not fail to mark their little friendship 
for me in every way in which they dared to manifest 
their feelings. It was, therefore, with something like 
relief that I saw myself again under the guardianship 
of the regular soldiers, who, having buried their dead 
comrades, came back to town to await their turn to be 
slaughtered by the bullet or wasted by disease. It 
was impossible not to feel sympathy for the poor 
dupes, who bled and suffered for the exaggerated 
ambition of others. In the main, they were good- 
hearted, simple, and stupid, wonderfully obedient, and 
passably brave. It has always been a puzzle to me 
why so many men whom nature intended only for 
minding sheep should have the pretension to don a 
soldier's uniform, in which they appear as much out 
of place as would an ass in a lion's hide. But human 
nature is full of contradictions, and these people, for 
the most part, while liking the soldier's clothes, dis- 
like infinitely the hardships and dangers of a soldier's 
life. 

I had scarcely been reassured for my immediate 
safety by the return of the regular troops, when an 
incident occurred that threw me again into the greatest 
uncertainty as to my probable fate. On the evening 
of the fourth day of my incarceration I was preparing 
to seek forgctfulness of my troubles in sleep when the 
cell-door suddenly opened, and the corporal of the 
guard ordered me, in a peremptory tone, "to pass this 
way." I was already en deshabille, but I obeyed the 
order of the corporal. On reaching the door, I per- 
ceived that there were a number of officers waiting 

27* 



3.i8 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



outside, and not wishing to appear bare-headed before 
such gentry, returned to my cell to seek my hat. The 
corporal conducted me into a small room adjacent to 
the one I occupied, where three officers, in full uniform, 
and a civilian were waiting to receive me. It was al- 
ready dark, and the room was lighted by a small lamp 
placed on the table before one of the officers, who 
appeared to perform the duties of a secretary. There 
was something spectral in the uncertain glimmering 
of that lamp. The assistants were half in shadow, 
and the scene full of mystery and gloom. The effect 
on my imagination was terrific : all the stories of secret 
murders and assassinations that had been recounted to 
me from the moment of my arrival in Cuba rushed in^o 
my mind, and I saw myself a victim to the vengeance 
and hatred of the authorities. Military law and mili- 
tary justice had been recently exemplified in the shoot- 
ing of the Spanish major, so that the prospect of b;ing 
tried by court-martial called up the picture of the dead 
soldier lying by the tree-trunk at El Macho. It would 
be difficult, if not absolutely impossible, to give any- 
thing like an idea of the feelings of the first moments 
in which I found myself so suddenly and unexpectedly 
before a court-martial. 

A small, wiry man, nervous in expression and move- 
ment, sharp in feature, and evidently possessing more 
than the average intelligence of Spanish officers, ad- 
dressed me in Spanish, informing me that he was the 
fiscal appointed by the Captain-General to examine me 
as to the causes of my arrest, and that the other persons 
present were Lieutenant Manuel Lopez, the secretary, 
and the Comte de San Luis and Senor Miguel Caceres, 
appointed to assist me as interpreters. This was 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. -j\Q 

repeated, for form's sake, by one of the interpreters, 
in English. In the mean time I had leisure to ex- 
amine the " court" with more attention. The fiscal 
wore the uniform of a major, and his quick, impatient 
action and manner of speaking, as well as his close- 
cropped, iron-gray hair, gave him more the appearance 
of a Frenchman than of a Spaniard. Neither of the 
interpreters spoke English very fluently, or under- 
stood it very profoundly, although the civilian, who 
was the Alcalde of Manzanillo, informed me that he 
had been seven years in the United States. 

This person deserves more than a passing notice. 
Much above the ordinary size, he belongs to that 
class of giants who devote their immense physical 
strength to the manly employment of selling ribbons, 
pins, and matters of that nature. His whole person 
conveyed an idea of the nobility of soul naturally 
associated with his elevated pursuit. He had been 
prosperous in life, — that was in evidence, — and if 
things continue in the same road for many years, he 
may hope one day to rival the celebrated Daniel 
Lambert. Such is the advantage of a quiet, if not a 
very clear, conscience. Over a fat, round face of un- 
usual pallor plays a constant angelic smile, typical of 
innocence and goodness of heart. Notwithstanding 
these personal advantages, this good man fell under 
the suspicion of the authorities as not having been 
able to resist the temptation to turn an honest penny 
by selling supplies to the insurgents at a good profit. 
His connections were suspicious, although Old Spain 
had the honor of giving birth to this prosperous and 
simpering alcalde. Somehow the suspicions never 
went to proof, and, as is usual in this changeable 



320 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



clime, the suspected rebel of one day became the de- 
voted patriot of the next. It appeared to this worthy 
that my arrest offered an easy and safe way of exhibit- 
ing his devotion to the Spanish cause ; and, during my 
various examinations before the fiscal, he on all occa- 
sions endeavored to give the most unfavorable interpre- 
tations to what I said, in order to prove his patriotism. 
As soon as this smiling personage had concluded speak- 
ing, I informed the fiscal that I refused to take any part 
in the proceedings until my Consul was present. 

This objection seemed to take them somewhat by 
surprise ; but it was admitted, the fiscal informing me 
that the presence of my Consul could not be claimed 
as a right, but that, in order to give me more confi- 
dence in the good faith of the tribunal, he would 
notify the Consul to be present in the morning. 
When the session came to an end I felt relieved. 
The impression made on my mind by the whole pro- 
ceeding was most unfavorable. 

All the guarantees that we are accustomed to look 
for in a court of law were absent. Confined in a fort, 
surrounded by soldiers, no witnesses allowed to be 
present, the refusal of liberty of speech, the semi- 
gloom of the room, and the secresy of the proceed- 
ings, all tended to recall memories of the barbarous 
ages. It would have been easy to imagine one's self 
before the judges of the Inquisition, — there was only 
need to introduce the rack, and to change the uniform 
of the soldier for the frock of the priest. Nor am I 
satisfied that there were not more guarantees for the 
life and liberty of an accused man in the courts of the 
Inquisition than are afforded by the military courts- 
martial of the nineteenth century. 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH-LINES. i 2 l 

Next morning the court assembled early, Mr. Lauten, 
the Vice-Consul, being present. After the form of open- 
ing the court, I was asked my name, country, age, and 
religion. To this series of questions I replied by ask- 
ing who were the persons that made the inquiry. 
This information having been given, I asked whether 
the tribunal was military or civil in its character. The 
fiscal answered that it was military. I then, in the 
presence of the British Vice-Consul, refused, as the 
subject of an independent state, to acknowledge the 
jurisdiction of a military court. I was proceeding to 
offer further reasons, in a short speech which I had 
sketched out in the morning, when I was suddenly 
stopped by the fiscal, who informed me that I was to 
answer categorically his questions, and not to enter 
into any inconvenient discussions. He then read for 
me a portion of some regulations, in which he warned 
me that my conduct would be prejudicial in case I 
continued to deny the authority of the court. 

Notwithstanding this warning I persisted in my re- 
fusal, and after a number of formalities the court ad- 
journed, leaving me in doubt as to what course would 
be pursued in my regard. One advantage derived 
from these legal proceedings was the removal of abso- 
lute prohibition to communicate with the outer world. 
Permission was given to renew my wardrobe, which 
was sadly in need of renovation. 

The night of my refusal to acknowledge the military 
court I was alarmed by the frightful noise made by 
the soldiers after I went to bed ; truly the thought 
came to me that my last hour had arrived, and, in 
order to receive the expected notification of my execu- 
tion with becoming dignity, I got up and dressed my- 



32: 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



self. The tramp of soldiers, the rattle of grounding 
arms, and the clanging of swords on the paved court 
continued for a long time, during which I suffered the 
most terrible suspense. No reply had come to my 
telegrams or letters, though five days had passed, and I 
felt assured that if the news of my arrest had been 
communicated to the British Consul-General, or the 
representative of the Herald in Havana, that I would 
not have been left without some word. It was only 
natural that my first fears should return with renewed 
force. The temptation to go to the door to learn the 
cause of the unusual movement was very great ; but, 
unwilling to give to my jailers the satisfaction of wit- 
nessing my anxiety, I laid down on the bed to wait 
the result. There the idea of being shot, without 
being able to communicate with my friends, slaugh- 
tered like a sheep without the power or the means of 
resistance, caused me to pass hours of bitter anguish. 

How I cursed my foolish confidence in the honor 
and faith of Spanish officials ! I would have given all 
I possessed in the world to be a hundred yards from 
the Spanish outposts with a rifle in my hands. 

One of the least pleasurable subjects for reflection is 
a military execution, when one has reason to fear that 
he may be the central figure in the picture that pre- 
sents itself to the mind. Next to being shot, the least 
enjoyable thing that I know is to imagine that one 
may be a subject for target practice ; but this is one 
of those truths that can only be known to a select few 
who have the distinction to pass through the experi- 
ence and survive it. Still, when one finds himself 
exposed to this risk, although it is an unpleasant 
subject, — or rather because it is so, — the mind of the 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 323 

unfortunate obstinately centres in all the details of the 
scene, which is presented to the imagination with 
terrible distinctness. 

In my case, this tendency was aggravated by the 
remembrance of the trial and execution of the Spanish 
major. The shock of that event had been severe. It 
was not the first death by bullets among the insur- 
gents during my stay with them ; but it was the one 
that made me feel most keenly the terrible state of 
society into which I had been thrown. All my pre- 
vious ideas of the sanctity of life and the protection 
of the law were annihilated, and I had come to recog- 
nize that force was the only law which could impose 
respect for right or life in this island of Cuba. With 
these impressions fresh and vivid in my mind, it is not 
surprising that I fell asleep wondering why men who 
are shot fall forward, and if I should furnish an excep- 
tion to this general rule. 

Next morning, having somewhat recovered from the 
depression of spirits in which I had been for 'some 
days, I wrote a letter to the Vice-Consul, asking him 
to see the fiscal and request him to suspend further 
proceedings until a reply came to a telegram which I 
desired to be sent to Mr. Dunlop, the British Consul- 
General in Cuba, asking that functionary to obtain 
my removal to Havana for trial. The fiscal sent me 
back word that he would await the reply, and nothing 
was done till next day, when the court reassembled, 
although no reply had been received to my telegram. 
There is no certainty that this telegram was delivered, 
as no acknowledgment of its receipt ever reached me, 
either by telegraph or mail. 

The court reassembled on the 6th of April, and I 



224 THE MAMBI-LAND. 

was surprised to find that Mr. Lauten, the British Vice- 
Consul, appeared as a witness in the case. I wished 
to protest, but was ordered to remain silent, and the 
fiscal further forbade any communication between me 
and the representative of my government. The Vice- 
Consul, under protest, then recognized the packet of 
papers which I had delivered to him as my property, 
and the fiscal, in a theatrical fashion, broke the cover, 
saying that if the English government protested, he, 
as judge, would assume the responsibility of his act. 
It was difficult to refrain from laughing at the figure 
cut by this official while, like a modern Ajax, he was 
defying the British thunder. In the packet were found 
three note-books, filled with information concerning 
the state of Cuba, a letter from Carlos Manuel de Ces- 
pedes, and one from Fornaris y Cespedes, one of the 
secretaries of the Cuban Camara, or Congress, ad- 
dressed to Mr. Bennett, a list of women and children 
whom the insurgents alleged to have been killed by 
the Spaniards in cold blood, and some unimportant 
private papers. These made up the contents of the 
packet. As it was necessary to have the notes trans- 
lated into Spanish, in order to prepare the charges 
against me, the court adjourned, and I was left in 
peace to ruminate over the beauties of Spanish justice. 
Two or three days elapsed before the Spanish 
Mephistopheles returned to the charge. In the mean 
time I had arranged in my own mind a course of action 
which would enable me to gain time without commit- 
ting myself to any definite policy with regard to the 
government. It consisted in expressing in general 
terms my absolutely neutral position between the 
belligerents, and my willingness to do anything con- 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



3?5 



sistent with honor to bring the struggle to a close. 
Beyond this I was resolved only to listen to what the 
agents of the government had to say, and endeavor to 
obtain written proofs of any dishonorable propositions 
that might be made to me. In the interval of the 
captain's visit the accused forger had been put back 
into my cell, and I was curious to know how he was 
to be disposed of in the event of any further proposi- 
tions. The conduct of the governor would also fur- 
nish me with a clue as to whether or not the proposi- 
tions were advanced on authority. When the moment 
came for the captain's visit the soldier was taken out 
of the cell, and sent to perform some duty outside. 
As he passed out, he looked at me intelligently, and 
muttered, " Don't trust him." The soldier's interest 
in me was due to certain sums of money which I gave 
him from a feeling of compassion, as the poor fellow 
was in a wretched state when I arrived. 

As soon as my visitor was seated, he opened the 
business by asking me if I had thought on what he 
had said to me. 

In reply I laughed, and told him that I had been 
puzzling my head how to become rich, but had not 
been able to solve the problem to my satisfaction. 

This treatment of the subject rather nettled him, 
and he remarked that he thought I was too intelligent 
a man not to have perfectly understood him. 

To this compliment I merely bowed, and reminded 
him that though I was able to follow his main argu- 
ment, yet, not being very well acquainted with the 
Spanish language, that unless statements were put 
very clearly and very plainly, it was difficult for me 
to seize their exact meaning. 

28 



326 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



The captain fidgeted a little at this answer, and 
looked at me very attentively with the squint-eye, 
while the straight one was directed out of the window, 
but, after a little effort, came directly to the point. 
" The government," he said, " is most anxious to put 
an end to the war, and would be willing to make 
almost any sacrifice to this end. Now, you must be 
possessed of most valuable information ; the insurgents 
have no doubt acquainted you with their plans, and, 
if you would consent to aid the government, there is 
no doubt but that you could render most important 
service." He then paused. 

While he spoke I lay back in my chair, and looked 
at him straight ,in the face, making a strong effort to 
conceal all trace of the indignation I naturally felt at 
the treason proposed. But when a man is playing 
with his life as the stake it is wonderful how cool and 
self-contained he can be. The captain had not been 
as explicit as I wanted him to be, and, though the aim 
of his proposition was perfectly clear, it was my in- 
tention to understand nothing which was not stated in 
so many words. As my tempter paused for some 
reply, and showed no disposition to proceed, I simply 
remarked " that I was not unfriendly to the govern- 
ment, and, if there was anything which I could honor- 
ably do to bring the war to a close, I should be most 
happy to do it, but that I feared the government 
attached too much importance to my relations with 
the insurgents." 

This parry threw the captain a little off his guard, 
and he hastened to assure me that whatever relations 
I might have held with the insurgents would be no 
obstacle, as the government was prepared to condone 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 327 

any infraction of the laws if " important services" 
were rendered by me. 

I replied coldly, that " not having violated any 
laws, and not recognizing any right on the part of the 
Spanish government to punish me, there was nothing 
to condone, and no reason to purchase pardon. And 
that the first condition to opening any serious negotia- 
tions should be my restoration to liberty." 

" Let us not discuss the question of the legality of 
your detention," was his reply ; " in view of the serious 
propositions I am prepared to make to you, the ques- 
tion whether you have broken our laws or not is of 
secondary importance. You can, I am sure, render 
services of the utmost importance, services that the 
government would not hesitate to repay with a quarter, 
or even half a million of dollars. I do not conceal 
from you that I have a personal interest in the success 
of the scheme, and that I too hope to gain a large 
fortune if we are successful in what I am about to 
propose." As he spoke his haggard-looking face 
lighted up with enthusiasm, as in imagination he saw 
the golden treasure within his grasp. " Would you 
not like to gain two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 
or perhaps half a million ?" 

" Yes, very much, if I could see the way to do so 
honorably," was my answer. 

" You are a foreigner," he continued, " and there- 
fore can have no feeling for either party, except what 
may spring from self-interest. It can make no differ- 
ence to you who rules in Cuba. The expenses of the 
war are very great, and the government is willing to 
give a large reward to any one who should aid in 
bringing the struggle to an end. The quickest way 



328 THE MA MB I- LAND. 

to do'so would be by the capture or death of Cespedes, 
and such other of the prominent leaders as could be 
reached. The Spanish law does not allow a price to 
be set on even a rebel's head by the government, but 
the Casino Espariol of Havana has offered a reward 
of two hundred thousand dollars to be paid to who- 
ever secures the capture or death of Cespedes. The 
government would add at least as much more if the 
capture of Cespedes could be effected." 

Here was a chance to become rich, and infamous ! 
The captain glowed with enthusiasm, and concluded 
by asking me, with nervous anxiety, what I thought 
of the proposition. 

I told him it ,was magnificent. Half a million dol- 
lars was a prize worth working for, and after all it 
might not be so difficult to win as it appeared. 

Mephistopheles, overjoyed at this answer, compli- 
mented me on my good sense, assured me that the 
prison-doors would soon fly open, and that both of us 
would leave Cuba rich. If the man could have read 
my heart he would not have liked much to trust him- 
self, even for a moment, out of the Spanish dominions 
in my society. However, it was necessary to play 
so dangerous a role carefully, and I had therefore to 
seem to share something of the fellow's enthusiasm. 
" There was only needed now some act on my part 
to give the authorities in Havana confidence in the 
sincerity of my desire to help them," the captain said ; 
" for instance, to point out the secret agents of the 
Cubans in Santiago de Cuba and Manzanillo. That 
of itself would be looked on as a most important ser- 
vice, and would be liberally rewarded." 

This " illustrious sword" talked of selling men's 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



329 



blood as coolly as though it were an article of gro- 
cery to be weighed and measured, at so much an 
ounce. I contented myself with saying that the agents 
were unknown to me, but that if it were otherwise, I 
would not betray them ; as my position in life ren- 
dered scoundrelism, on a small scale, unprofitable. 
The betrayal of Cespedes would of course be an act 
of treachery, but its importance, and the largeness of 
the reward, redeemed it from vulgarity, while the half- 
million would act as an efficient balm to my wounded 
conscience. 

The captain was not pleased at this resolution. He- 
was inwardly convinced that I knew very well who 
were labor-antes and who were not; but was so blinded 
at the prospect of capturing Cespedes by my aid that 
he saw in my refusal to betray the men who had placed 
their lives in my hands, only a disinclination on my 
part to admit any compromising connection with the 
insurgents. It never seemed to strike him that there 
are men who hold their honor and good name above 
price, and that even millions of dollars would not 
tempt them to imbrue their hands traitorously in a 
fellow-being's blood. He informed me that he had 
already written to one of the chiefs of the Casino 
Espaiiol, who would inform the Captain- General of 
his project, and that no doubt the Captain-General 
would ratify the offer that he — the captain — had made 
on behalf of the government. 

The fiscal had been obliged to leave his battalion in 
order to take charge of my case, and was very anxious 
to finish the affair up. In his mind my fate was sealed, 
and, as I had to be shot, in his opinion the sooner it 
was done the better. He told me that the affair would 

28* 



330 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



only last a few days, as the proofs against me were very 
clear. It was evident that unless the authorities at 
Havana interfered I should be shot, and as no word 
had reached me up to this time from any quarter, my 
position appeared to me very critical. In a few days, 
however, an incident occurred which showed that my 
plan for gaining time had been successful. The court- 
martial was only waiting for the translation of my 
papers to proceed to try me for " infidencia" or high 
treason, but owing to some cause the translators sud- 
denly stopped work, so that, in fact, the proceedings 
were suspended. The Captain-General had ordered 
them to go slowly ! 

The first answer to any of my communications came 
from the consulate at Santiago de Cuba, where the 
news of my arrest had been received five days after 
the first telegram. This is a sample of the freedom of 
communication that was permitted me, and the ideas 
of justice and fair play entertained by the people in 
whose hands I so confidingly placed myself. 

On the 8th of April I was again brought out of my 
cell at the command of authority, to take part in a 
most disgraceful farce. Up to this date I feared the 
vengeance of the authorities, but did not believe them 
capable of descending to contemptible means to ex- 
cuse their action against me. When my cell-door 
opened I saw a number of civilians ranged in the 
court- way, and while I was puzzling my brain to im- 
agine what these people had to do with me, the fiscal 
told me to take off my hat, and afterwards my coat. 
Although very much surprised and puzzled, I obeyed. 
A hat and coat belonging to another man were then 
handed me to put on. Then the fiscal ordered me 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LIXES. 



331 



to place myself among the civilians and await the 
result. I did so ; and an instant after the door of the 
room next my cell was opened carefully, as if to allow 
the issue of a wild animal. Instead of a wild beast, a 
young colored girl came out, and was immediately re- 
quested by the fiscal to recognize the " Englishman 
whom she had seen with Cespedes in the camp of Pan- 
chulucas, in the district of Cuba." The whole import 
of the farce was at once evident. Never in the girl's 
life had she seen me with Cespedes, for I had neither 
been to Panchulucas, nor had I seen Cespedes in that 
district of Cuba. However, it was very easy to recog- 
nize me. For some days before my attention had 
been drawn to an unusual concourse of colored visitors 
in the fort, and even if this had no influence, it is very 
easy to pick out an Irishman from any number of Cuban 
civilians ; besides, in their great hurry, I was placed in 
line with my slippers and blue flannel trowsers, which, 
taken together with the Cuban hat and a white coat, 
must have presented a costume capable of attracting 
the attention of even an ignorant negro. Three times 
the farce of changing portions of my costume was gone 
through, and, in order to make assurance doubly sure, 
one of the officials entered the room where the girl 
was confined each time that a slight change of cos- 
tume was effected ; not, of course, with the object of 
informing her of the change in case she should be 
sufficiently stupid not to know me again, — a stupidity 
so great that it passes belief. I requested to be spared 
this farce, but the fiscal informed me that it was only 
a formality. This was not difficult to believe, because 
so much as I knew of Spanish legal proceedings were 
little more than the merest formalities. 



332 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



This incident, however, had considerable influence 
in determining me to recognize the military court, in 
order to hasten the proceedings. The conviction was 
forced upon me that I was completely in the power of 
the authorities, because, if they could find a person 
willing to swear that I had been in a point where I 
never set my foot, it was evident they could find others 
willing to swear whatever they thought pleasing to the 
authorities. Under such a system no man's life could 
be considered safe, and I thought the best thing to be 
done was to have the matter settled before too many 
aspirants to the distinction of perjury could have time 
to present themselves. I, therefore, made a pretty 
general statement, admitting that, as the Herald cor- 
respondent, I had entered the insurgent lines, visited 
the camp of Calisto Garcia, Modesto Diaz, and other 
chiefs, as well as "the residence of the republic, and 
its occupant, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes." 

While lying in Fort Gerona, at Manzanillo, I had 
some opportunity of judging for myself the truth about 
the charges of corruption and dishonesty among the 
official class in Cuba. The American Vice-Consul, 
poor Roca, was a Spaniard who had lived many years 
in America, but whose faith in the incorruptibility of 
mankind appears not to have been strengthened by 
his residence in the great republic. I had been in 
prison some time before Roca visited me, but when he 
did come he interested himself earnestly in my affairs. 
According to his notion, which he assured me was 
based on an intimate knowledge of the official charac- 
ter, my case had been sadly mismanaged. Telegraph- 
ing to consuls-general, in his estimation, was all 
humbug, and in this he was certainly right; the proper 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



33. 



way was to approach delicately the people having 
charge of the case, and see if they could not be influ- 
enced, or, in plain English, bribed. Now, it was not 
my intention to buy myself out of the scrape, but as 
Roca insisted on the feasibility of the transaction, he 
was authorized from curiosity to make the approach. 
He did so, skillfully, and the person addressed at- 
tempted next day to borrow a hundred and seventy 
dollars from my agent ; but as my mind was made 
up not to give a cent, the borrowing did not take 
place. Still, the negotiations were by no means broken 
off, and had it not been for the sad death of poor 
Roca within a few days, some very interesting in- 
sight into the administration of Spanish justice might 
have been obtained. The baited hook thrown was at 
once nibbled, and there is little doubt that if the an- 
gling had continued some large fish would have been 
landed. Unfortunately, poor Roca went out on the 
bay in a boat, which upset, and he was eaten by the 
sharks the moment he fell overboard, as well as an- 
other of his companions. This unfortunate accident 
interrupted the pending negotiations, which, for want 
of delicate and experienced hands to guide them, were 
not resumed. 

From the leaf-covered huts of the Mambi-Land to 
the calaboose of Fort Gerona, what a change ! 

Hard as was my life among the Mambis, it had one 
attraction which is never thoroughly appreciated until 
we have ceased to enjoy it — liberty. In the midst of the 
so-called bandits and escaped negroes my person and 
my profession were sacred, and I was as free as the cir- 
cumstances would permit. Indeed, the only restraint of 
which I could complain was imposed by nature. On 



334 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



all sides the luxuriant forests tempted the enterprising 
spirit to wander arnid tropical glories, but the amuse- 
ment could only be enjoyed by those who had the 
benefit of a forest education. Although I had the feel- 
ing of liberty in its wildest sense,, the physical obstacles 
kept me in some sort a prisoner during my stay in 
Cuba Libre ; but at least the moral atmosphere which 
I breathed was redolent of freedom. All that was 
now changed: the blue skies and. the ever-changing 
shadows among the trees, the soft forest twilights, and 
the gorgeous noonday glories had vanished, and I 
had to content myself with gazing on four white walls, 
and console myself with an occasional glimpse of 
Heaven's vault caught through envious prison bars. 

After a few days' absence my forger friend had been 
restored to me ; and, in truth, there are doubts in my 
mind if he was not the honestest companion Fort 
Gerona could afford me. There were other rooms 
vacant where the accommodation was better, as well 
as the air, and during the first days there was evidence 
of a desire or intention on the part of the governor 
to place me in better quarters ; but, as no proposition 
of a reciprocal nature was made on my part, nothing 
was done, and I remained mured up in the calaboose 
during my imprisonment at Manzanillo. My cell was 
an oblong room, twenty feet by twelve. The iron 
bars of the door and window gave it somewhat the 
appearance of the cage of a wild beast in a zoological 
garden. A writing-table, on which were placed a few 
bottles doing service as candlesticks, some books and 
a lot of writing-paper scattered about, with a few chairs, 
formed the principal furniture of the place. Two 
wooden benches, looking very old and very dirty, and 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



3"35 



two small, mean-looking boxes, and some clothes 
hanging from nails in the wall, completed the picture. 
The appearance of the room was exceedingly wretched 
and depressing, and it would have been absolutely in- 
tolerable only for a large window opening out on the 
country, through which glimpses of the trees and 
fields and sea were caught. The floor was full of 
holes, — almost in the centre the brick pavement was 
broken and the earth visible. Numbers of rats were 
in the habit of sallying out of these holes in search 
of food, and sometimes half a dozen might be seen 
running fearlessly about the room. Sometimes they 
became so enterprising as to attempt to carry off my 
dinner from before me ; but it was necessary to draw 
the line somewhere, and I objected to too close a 
familiarity. My temper was somewhat ruffled by 
close confinement, subject to the most annoying kind 
of espionage. The sentinel at my door could see into 
the room, and he never absented himself for an in- 
stant, night or day. If I moved, his vigilance was 
aroused ; and if I looked in his direction, two inquisi- 
tive and not over-friendly eyes were fixed on me. At 
night a light was kept constantly burning in my cell, 
and every half-hour the sentry was changed, so that 
my sleep was constantly broken ; when the wind blew 
out the little lamp, the corporal of the guard was at 
once called to light it, and when for a moment I left 
the room, three men, with loaded muskets, followed 
at my heels. All this was very ridiculous, but it was 
not the less annoying. To judge from the way the 
authorities conducted themselves in my regard, one 
might have imagined me to be some famous warrior, 
upon whose safe custody depended the safety of Spain. 



336 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



And this burlesque was carried on with all the pom- 
pous gravity of the Spanish character. 

The stage effect was heightened by the fact that the 
subordinate actors were entirely in earnest, for it was 
the firm conviction of the soldiers guarding me that I 
was to be disposed of by four bullets, homoeopathically 
administered. The atmosphere created around me by 
this impression was rendered still more unpleasant 
and unsafe by the presence of the insurgents in the 
immediate neighborhood of the town. Their operations 
furnished constant distraction, and from time to time I 
experienced what the French call an emotion. The 
dullness of the days was frequently relieved by a sudden 
outburst of rifle-music, heard in the distance. This 
was only an exchange of compliments between the out- 
posts, and for the most part had nothing serious in it. 
Still, as there was no knowing what might have been 
the gravity of the situation, anything like ennui was 
quite impossible. The enterprises of the insurgents in 
this district were by no means confined to bootless skir- 
mishing. From my cell-window I saw the sky lighted 
up by the conflagration of four important estates, 
which were reduced to ashes, and the slaves and em- 
ployes either scattered or carried off. Report stated 
that most of the armed volunteers joined the insur- 
gents without any scruple. One night the largest 
estate in the immediate outskirts of the town was 
destroyed, as well as a smaller one a little farther off. 
The conflagration could be seen perfectly from my 
cell. Both estates were completely destroyed. The 
nearest was within cannon-shot of the fort, and the 
forms of the men passing before the fire were dis- 
tinctly visible. Preparations were made in the fort to 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LI. YES. 



337 



resist attack. The guns were hauled about in a way 
which led me to expect at every moment a discharge, 
but nothing was done. In town every one was in a 
state of panic, as the advance of the enemy was mo- 
mentarily expected. No efforts were made by the 
troops to save the property, or to punish the insur- 
gents, who, having completed their work, retired tran- 
quilly to their camps in the mountains. Only two 
important estates remained in the neighborhood of the 
town after these operations, and though they were 
strongly fortified, fears were entertained that they 
would not escape the fate of the others. Most of 
these ingenios had been burned down before and re- 
built ; the loss was consequently very heavy. The 
wide-spread disaffection of the Cuban volunteers in 
this district was also a source of great difficulty to the 
authorities. In fact, they did not know whom to trust. 
The desertion of a part of the garrison of Congo, and 
the whole of the encampment of Punta Piedra, was 
followed by evidences of insubordination in several 
other encampments. Some weeks after my arrest, 
forty persons, men, women, and children, were brought 
to Manzanillo, prisoners from Yara. They were cap- 
tured in the very act of going over to the insur- 
gents. A Spanish officer told me that unpleasant 
symptoms of the same nature had appeared in other 
districts. Although some small reinforcements ar- 
rived during my detention, the garrison did not feel 
strong enough to take care of the town and at the 
same time send forces in pursuit of the enemy. The 
safety of the town is naturally considered of the 
greatest importance, and up to the present day the 
insurgents have maintained a pretty strict blockade, 

29 



333 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



cutting off all communications on the land side with 
the town. 

Well-nigh a month had elapsed, and still the pro- 
ceeding against me dragged on. My evil genius was 
unceasing in his attentions and in his exhortations to 
betray the confidence that had been reposed in me. 
As I showed no disposition, however, to comply with 
the wishes of the authorities, they began to perceive 
that I had only been duping them. This suspicion 
aroused their ferocity, and my treatment in prison be- 
gan to be marked by increasing severity and brutality. 
As they could not buy me, they were resolved to see 
if terror could not accomplish what money had failed 
to do. Every officer who mounted guard altered my 
status at his good pleasure. I was searched for files 
and arms ; my food was detained by the guard under 
pretense of examining it, until it was cold, and the 
sentries were ordered to allow no one to approach me 
without the permission of the officer of the guard. 
One night a soldier mad drunk was thrown into my 
cell, as the captain of the guard said he was afraid he 
might kill some of the soldiers if kept in the guard- 
house. The infuriate ruffian no sooner found himself 
in my cell than he grabbed at some heavy stone bot- 
tles, which he was about to throw, when my forger 
companion seized him, and called the guard to remove 
the madman. Mephistopheles had witnessed the out- 
rage, and having more common sense than the captain 
of the guard, spoke to that worthy, and showed him 
he had made a mistake ; so the soldier was removed 
and tied to a cannon, where he made night hideous 
with his blasphemies. 

Two most important events happened about this 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. -^q 

time : a letter came from the Captain-General to Me- 
phistopheles, approving of what he had done, and 
authorizing him to act as the agent of the government; 
and the British gunboat Plover had steamed into port 
to afford me the protection to which as a British sub- 
ject I was entitled. The letter was signed by the 
chief of the staff of General Pieltain, the republican 
Captain-General, and was shown to me by this Span- 
iard, who urged me to embrace the opportunity of 
making my fortune. The exhortation, however, failed 
to produce any enthusiasm, and I contented myself 
with repeating I would listen to no propositions until 
set at liberty ; that while quite willing to help them to 
put an end to the war, if I could do so honorably, it 
was necessary for the government to tell me clearly 
and explicitly what they wanted; but before everything 
it was necessary that I should be set at liberty, in 
order that there could be no possible misrepresentation 
as to my motives in carrying on these negotiations. I 
wrote a letter to Mr. Bennett, strictly private and con- 
fidential, in which the transaction was explained. That 
letter was sent by a special and trustworthy messenger 
from Manzanillo early in May, and arrived safely. 
Had it fallen into the hands of the authorities, it is 
probable I should have remained in the Ever-Faithful 
Isle until summoned away by the last trumpet. When 
the infamous letter of the chief of the staff arrived, 
Mephistopheles ceaselessly urged me to give ever such 
a little piece of information which would lead to the 
arrest of the agent in Manzanillo. To have obtained 
a clue that would enable the government to fix on a 
victim through whom to strike terror almost any con- 
ditions would have been granted, but, as I steadily in- 



34Q 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



sisted that I did not know the Manzanillian agent, even 
Mephistopheles began to understand that there were 
men who would not barter their honor for wealth, or 
even to save their lives. It was at this point that 
terrorism began to assume most dangerous proportions, 
and culminated by the placing of a soldier in my cell 
at night, with orders to bayonet me should I attempt 
to rise ; this gave the soldier carte blanche, for if any 
ruffian should take into his head to assassinate me at 
night, he would have the excuse that I attempted to 
rise. The object of this conduct, however, viewed by 
the light of the secret history, becomes plain and 
obvious enough. As the authorities could not buy 
me, they thought to terrify me into betraying the men 
who had trusted me. Knowing the nature and object 
of this terrorism, my sufferings at this period can well 
be understood. It is not a pleasant matter to go 
nightly to sleep with the consciousness that one may 
wake up in another world, and what I had seen of my 
jailers gave me good reason to look on them as men 
capable of committing any crime. Assassination by 
bullet, knife, and poison have notoriously marked the 
progress of this struggle. My authorities on this 
point cannot be brought into question, for men among 
the Spaniards have confessed to me that poison was 
put in their presence in jars of wine which were to be 
abandoned to the insurgents, in the hope of killing off by 
this means Modesto Diaz; and I have seen the scars of 
terrible wounds inflicted on one officer when his brother 
and himself were left for dead, by the machetes of Span- 
ish assassins; fortunately, the arrival of Commander 
Hippisly and the British gunboat Plover afforded me 
unlooked-for protection, — the gallant commander's de- 



RETURN TO THE SPANISH LINES. 



34* 



cidcd action convinced the authorities that it would be 
dangerous to go too far. Had he received the support 
and encouragement which he deserved from the un- 
worthy representatives of the British Empire at Havana 
no doubt my troubles would have been brought to an 
end at this period ; but the traders of Havana were 
looking after their own interest, and not after my safety 
or the dignity of their country. Crawford, if not a 
slave-owner himself, though possibly he is, has his 
interests so wound up with theirs that for all practical 
purposes he is one of the black band. It was there- 
fore natural that he should take upon himself to instruct 
Mr. Lauten, a German subject, to order the commander 
of a British war-vessel not to interfere with my busi- 
ness. Commander Hippisly naturally told this shop- 
keeper to go to the devil ; and had this pretty speci- 
men of an English Consul been within hail, he would 
have been treated to a bath that would have been 
more instructive than agreeable. At this juncture 
orders came for my removal to Santiago de Cuba, 
directed not so much in kindness or consideration for 
me as in fear of Commander Hippisly. Manzanillo 
is by no means a strong place, and the authorities 
were in constant dread lest the energetic commander 
should take me out by force ; the danger of a conflict 
at Manzanillo was increased by the presence of the 
Cuban forces, who were so close that their firing could 
be heard on many occasions. It was feared that a con- 
flict with the Plover would encourage the insurgents to 
assault the town, and probably lead to a revolt of the 
people within, ending in a complete massacre of the 
Spanish garrison. 

r 9 * 



CHAPTER XX. 

PRISON EXPERIENCE. 

The Influence of the Plover — Bound with Ropes, and conveyed under 
Guard to Santiago de Cuba — The Morro Castle — In the Hands of 
Burriel — Orders for my Removal to Havana — Sent to the Cabanas — 
Immured in a Pestilential Dungeon — Change of Quarters — Two 
imprisoned Herald Correspondents — Castelar orders me to be sent 
to Spain — The Voyage — The Carcel Nacionalof Santander — Madrid 
— Released — Conclusion. 

The ill treatment to which I was subjected at first 
was due to an impression which somehow had gone 
abroad that the British government would not in- 
terfere in my behalf. This idea was, however, soon 
dissipated by the timely arrival of the British gun- 
boat " Plover." Commander Hippisly immediately de- 
manded information as to the cause of my arrest, and 
protested energetically against my being detained in 
the calaboose, but was answered evasively. The tone 
of the people about me soon changed, however, when 
they saw the attention paid me by the officers of the 
Plover, and the really warm i'nterest they took in my 
well-being. Indeed, over-confidence in their certain 
hold on me gave way to a panic fear that the Plover 
meant to take me out of Fort Gerona by force. 

The immediate result was a closer surveillance than 
ever over my movements, which led to some unpleas- 
ant incidents. These inconveniences were, however, 
more than counterbalanced by the marked respect 
342 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. 



343 



with which I was treated, and which contrasted so 
very strongly with the cavalier way in which my de- 
mands for better treatment had been received when I 

was looked on as a mere wanderer, without any strong 

■ 
government to protect me. 

The rage of the Spanish officials was in part turned 
away from me to the Plover, which had appeared so 
inopportunely to interfere with their schemes. It had 
been more than once hinted to me that my claim to 
be removed from Manzanillo was inadmissible, and 
that the court-martial would proceed with the farce of 
trying me without paying any heed to my protests or 
my objections. It was never the intention or desire 
of the volunteer party to allow me a fair trial, but being 
a foreigner, it was necessary to preserve some appear- 
ance of legality in the measures adopted against me. 
Only the direct interference of the Captain-General, 
under orders from Sefior Castelar, prevented my con- 
demnation to death. The fiscal charged with the 
preparations of my sumario allowed himself to be 
carried away by his enthusiastic patriotism, and it 
was well known that the penalty of death had been 
demanded against me. 

On the 6th of May, 1873, the fiscal, or military judge, 
Major Marangez, unexpectedly visited me in my cell 
at Manzanillo. He informed me that orders had been 
given by the general at Santiago de Cuba for my 
translation to that town. The notice, though abrupt, 
was most welcome, for I longed to leave the stink and 
fanaticism of Manzanillo behind me. As the officers of 
the Plover had been very kind to me, I requested per- 
mission to inform them, and also the Vice-Consul, of the 
voyage I was about to take; but the fiscal interrupted 



344 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



me with a negative wave of his hand, informing me at 
the same time that I was incomunicado, and could com- 
municate with no one, — absolutely no one. At the same 
time the legal major pledged his word of honor that I 
should be conducted safely to Santiago de Cuba ; the 
reason of this promise being a doubt which he sus- 
pected to exist in my mind lest the soldiers should play 
what is known in Cuba as "the foraging trick," by 
which inconvenient people are cleared off the track. 
However, the word of the major reassured me very 
little, for my experience of Spanish promises was not 
such as would allow me to place any very implicit faith 
in the most solemn vow, even of an archbishop. A re- 
quest to write letters to be delivered after my departure 
was likewise refused, but this piece of official imperti- 
nence made me resolve to test the fiscal's right in the 
matter. I wrote letters to the Vice-Consul and Com- 
mander Hippisly, intrusting them to the governor of 
the fort, who promised to deliver them in the morning. 
Between ten and eleven o'clock at night the fiscal came 
again, and I was roused out of a sound sleep to go on 
board the steamer for Cuba. At this point I was in- 
formed that, as a matter of precaution, it was thought 
necessary to pinion me. Knowing the chivalrous 
character of the people with whom I had to do, I sub- 
mitted to this outrage, simply informing the major that, 
being his prisoner, he could dispose of me as he 
thought fit. A sergeant then advanced with a long 
rope, with which he bound my arms tightly above the 
elbows, drawing them back with force. The rope was 
wound round my arms many times, and so tightly that 
for many days my arms bore the marks of the bruises. 
As soon as the tying up was completed, I set out, sur- 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. 



345 



rounded by some sixteen soldiers, who were ordered 
to load their arms, and three " illustrious swords," a 
powerful soldier holding on to the end of the rope in 
order to make assurance doubly sure. 

In this order we left Fort Gerona, and directed our 
footsteps towards the town, which lay at our feet, 
bathed in a flood of silver light, the square, fiat-roofed 
houses looking like checkered patches of light and 
shadow in the calm moonbeams. Whether the pleas- 
ure of quitting my prison affected my judgment I can- 
not say, but the night seemed to me one of the most 
beautiful I had ever witnessed. It was owing to this 
fact, no doubt, that many groups still loitered in the 
streets and on the door-steps, although the hour of 
midnight was fast approaching, when, under ordinary 
circumstances, a Cuban town is as silent and deserted 
as a graveyard. The party on reaching the town care- 
fully avoided the more populous streets, and marched 
zigzag through the blocks, so as to reach the steamer, 
which was moored at the farthest outlying wharf from 
the centre of the town. Our passage had created a 
subdued sensation among such of the inhabitants as 
had not retired to rest. They looked on me, no 
doubt, as " one more unfortunate" going to his doom ; 
and in truth there were moments when I doubted 
whether or not my destination was the one announced. 
However, all disquietude on this point was soon set at 
rest by our debouching at the head of the wharf, and 
our arrival, a few minutes later, on board one of the 
South Coast steamers. Here I had the honor of being 
stared at by some hundreds of passengers, idlers, and 
porters, who evidently had something of the feeling of 
curiosity in my regard that a cockney out for a holiday 



34^ 



THE MAMBI-LANH. 



at the Zoo experiences at the sight- of a caged wild 
animal. It is well that umbrellas are scarce in these 
regions, or I am certain that some inquiring genius 
would have poked me in the ribs to see if I would not 
growl or show my teeth. After about ten minutes of 
this open-mouthed examination, which was indulged 
in with just as little delicacy as though I were a wild 
animal rather than a man, the fiscal conducted me to 
a cabin, and informed me that I might go to bed if I 
liked ; but this was sarcastic, as, even if I had liked, 
the manner in which I was pinioned precluded the 
possibility of my doing so. Under these circum- 
stances, I inquired when my guardians intended to 
take the cords off, as it was impossible to go to bed 
under existing conditions. The fiscal replied that the 
steamer would not leave for some hours, and that the 
twenty armed men who were guarding me did not 
think it safe to loosen my hands until we had left the 
harbor. With this pleasing prospect before me, I sat 
down to await the good will and pleasure of my 
amiable guardians, consoling myself with reflecting on 
the honor, the generosity, and chivalric valor of the 
Spanish nation. After a short time the fiscal became 
ashamed of himself, and orders were given to take off 
the rope, so that I might go to bed, with orders, how- 
ever, to leave the door open, so that the sentry could 
keep me in view all night. 

The following afternoon we arrived in the bay of 
Santiago de Cuba, where the steamer was overhauled 
by a police-boat with the object of carrying me to the 
Castillo del Morro, which is situated on a bold head- 
land at the mouth of the harbor, a most romantic- 
looking old edifice, that in old times must have been 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. 



347 



a formidable defense, but nowadays, like most Spanish 
glory, is a subject for the antiquary. A quarter of an 
hour's rowing from the point where I was taken off 
the steamer brought us to a small cove lying between 
the Morro and the battery of the Estrella. We were 
allowed to approach without being challenged, and it 
was only when the noise of the boat grating on the 
beach called the attention of the colored sentinel to 
our presence that any notice was taken of us, and even 
then not much. Full twenty minutes were occupied 
in toiling up the winding path that leads to the citadel 
that crowns the works. After crossing a heavy-look- 
ing drawbridge, about which other groups of lazy, 
dirty-looking colored troops were lounging, who 
straightened themselves up as well as they could to 
salute his mightiness, the major who had me in charge, 
I found myself passing through a series of arched 
passages, dim and low-vaulted, into a dingy-looking 
courtyard, and, climbing flights of time-eaten stone 
steps, which seemed to crumble beneath the tread of 
the venturesome passenger, at last I found myself 
ushered into a lofty casemate, completely empty, but 
which differed from the rest of the fortress in looking 
clean, if somewhat cheerless. Everything about the 
Morro would have delighted an artist's eye, and a 
wandering member of that peculiar tribe might have 
enjoyed, in all its fullness, " the poetry of dirt" and the 
sentiment of decay. The swarthy faces of the sol- 
diers, their almost fantastic raggedness, the sheen of 
arms, and the clanging of chains as some unfortunate 
convict hobbled across the courtyard, would have sup- 
plied inexhaustible food for brush and pencil, if one 
were at liberty and could enjoy these sights from a 



348 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



strictly artistic point of view ; but seen through a 
grated hole, some nine inches square, in one's cell- 
door, the most romantic scenes quite lose their in- 
terest. 

While I was discussing in my own mind how I 
should dispose of myself, the door of my cell opened 
to allow the entrance of a canteen-keeper, who wished 
to know if I desired to eat something, expressing his 
regret at the same time that there was nothing to be 
had but some bread and preserved mutton, seasoned 
with canteen wine. The prospect was not very in- 
viting, but it was necessary to eat; so I told him to 
furnish the luxurious repast, at the same time request- 
ing that he would send me a chair and table until such 
time as I could procure furniture from Santiago de 
Cuba. Notwithstanding a long fast and excellent 
good will, the preserved mutton was too much for 
me, and I was obliged to content myself with a cup of 
coffee and dry bread until morning. While I was still 
discussing this humble fare some convicts arrived 
from Santiago with chairs, a table, and a bed, sent to 
me by the military administrators, by order of General 
Burriel, who afterward became notorious through the 
Virginius massacre, so that I found myself in com- 
paratively comfortable quarters. Here, in addition 
to being free from the obsession of my evil spirit, 
Mephistopheles, I had the advantage of better air and 
better accommodations. As the garrison was perma- 
nent, I was freed from the capricious imprisonment 
from which I had suffered a good deal of annoyance. 
My window at Napoles, which is the title of the bat- 
tery where my casemate was built, commanded a 
beautiful view of the bay of Santiago, and the moun- 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. ^Q 

tains beyond, so that I could amuse myself trying to 
trace the course of my night march over these moun- 
tains some months previously. When I had been 
about a fortnight in the Morro, permission was given 
to me to promenade for two hours daily, with the right 
of descending to Santa Barbara, from which the view 
of sea and land is one of the most magnificent in the 
world. It was just such a spot as one would choose 
to dream his life away in, if its beauty and charm 
were not destroyed by the consciousness of the loss 
of freedom, without which the loveliest scenes are 
deserts to the heart. 

During my stay in this fort more consideration was 
shown to me than at any other point. This was 
chiefly due to the warm interest taken in my welfare 
by the American, English, and French Consuls, sup- 
ported by the presence of the Plover, whose com- 
mander had put to sea as soon as he had heard of my 
abduction from Gerona. The mystery attending my 
removal was due to fears entertained by the authorities 
lest the commander of the Plover should attempt to 
release me by force. On this account they did not 
hesitate to slight the British commander in a most 
marked manner ; indeed, the indifference of the Span- 
iards to the representations and protests of England in 
this affair has been most marked, at times bordering 
closely on contempt. An instance of this occurred at 
Santiago de Cuba, where Commander Hippisly paid 
the authorities two visits, neither of which was returned 
until the commander telegraphed the fact to the com- 
modore at Jamaica, when the governor sent one of his 
aids-de-camp to go through the form of acknowledg- 
ing the visit. On another occasion, in obedience to 

30 



35o 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



instructions received from Jamaica, Commander Hip- 
pisly asked to be informed of the date of my trial 
and the constitution of the court. After some days 
he received a reply from the governor stating that 
he would find the required information in the news- 
papers. This piece of impertinence had to be sub- 
mitted to, as the England of Gladstone & Co. was be- 
lieved incapable of any effort in defense of the national 
honor. 

On the 21st of May I was put on board the steamer 
for Havana, without any further explanation than that 
it was done by order of the Captain-General. That 
awful name was enough for me ; besides, my friends 
assured me that to a certainty I should be immediately 
released on my arrival at Havana. This idea was en- 
couraged by the considerate treatment I received dur- 
ing the voyage from Major Fernandez, in whose charge 
I was placed. On my arrival in Havana all illusions 
of this kind were somewhat rudely dissipated by the 
news of the arrest of the resident Herald correspondent, 
and the order for my confinement in the Cabanas fort- 
ress, where I was conducted by the special order of 
the republican Captain-General. Here, at least, I ex- 
pected to be treated with consideration, but was fated 
to the rudest kind of disappointment. No one could 
tell me why Mr. Price had been arrested, and even the 
Consul-General had been refused permission to see 
him unless under conditions which it was not in keep- 
ing with his dignity as the representative of the United 
States to accept. The question of the right of the Span- 
ish government to seize upon citizens of a free country, 
cast them into prison, and deprive them of all com- 
munication, not alone with their friends, but also with 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. 



351 



the representatives of their nation, is one that is justly 
open to question. Under our laws no such outrage 
could be perpetrated on a Spanish citizen, and this is 
a point on which reciprocity is of more importance 
than in questions of selling pins or patent medicines. 

As I was being led to my quarters in the calaboose 
of the Cabanas, from which a robber was removed to 
make way for me, I passed the boveda where Mr. Price 
was confined. The captain of the guard called my 
attention to the other "Englishman," not being aware 
that we were old acquaintances. At the moment of 
passing he stopped to say a few words to the Herald 
correspondent, which gave me the opportunity of see- 
ing Mr. Price without his having the most remote idea 
that out of the gloom of the night a friendly face was 
peering anxiously at him in the hope of being recog- 
nized. The captain had warned me not to speak, so I 
was obliged to remain a mute spectator. For five days 
Mr. Price had been cut off from all intercourse with 
his family and friends, having even been refused the 
aid of a doctor, unless he wished to accept the services 
of a Spanish Sangrado. Not caring to trust himself 
with that class of gentlemen, Mr. Price was compelled 
to do without medical help. When I saw him he was 
in the act of arranging his cot bed. As he turned to 
reply in no very civil manner to the intrusive inquiries 
of the captain, the light fell full on his face, and I 
could see that anxiety and confinement had left their 
impress on the last victim of Spanish law. The most 
alarming stories were set in circulation about the cause 
of Mr. Price's arrest, without the slightest foundation; 
the real cause being a desire to discover if I had used 
any cipher in my communications, or if Mr. Price 



352 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



could throw any light on the means by which I reached 
the Cuban lines. 

On the way to the calaboose, the officer of the guard 
expressed his regret that I should be subjected to the 
indignity of being confined in a den which was only a 
fit abode for robbers, at the same time telling me that 
as soon as he had fulfilled his duty by locking me in 
he would go to the governor and protest against my 
detention in such quarters. This warning prepared 
me to expect scanty comfort ; but, much as I had seen 
of Spanish generosity in Cuba, I was unprepared for 
the fate that awaited me. Arrived at length in front 
of a narrow opening in a blind casemate, it was pointed 
out as the apartment which I was to occupy during 
my residence in the Cabanas. 

" Impossible !" I said to the officer. " There must 
certainly be some mistake." 

No, much as he regretted the fact, this was my 
apartment. He considered it shameful to confine any 
one but the lowest criminal in such a place, but his 
orders were imperative. He would immediately see 
the general commanding and represent the ca e to 
him, but in the mean time he would be compelled to 
lock me in. As the governor had made no prepara- 
tions to enable me to pass the night, he had ordered 
one of the soldiers to bring me his hammock and a 
chair, to which he pointed and withdrew, closing the 
heavy door of open iron-work behind him, leaving me 
to my reflections. 

The cell in which I found myself was irregular in 
form, with a low, arched roof, and about twenty feet 
by twenty-five, half the space being occupied by a 
sloping wooden bench begrimed with dirt ; the roof 



PP/SOX EXPERIENCE. 



353 



black with smoke-stains and closely netted over with 
cobwebs. This place was filled with a sickening 
odor, proceeding from heaps of ordure which, not- 
withstanding the hasty cleaning-out, still encumbered 
the floor. A sickening sensation seized on me, and it 
was with difficulty that I could prevent myself from 
vomiting. In order to escape from the deadly atmos- 
phere of this place I took up my position at the grated 
door, in the hope of breathing a little fresh air ; but the 
well-intentioned efforts of the captain of the guard had 
cut off even this resource, for the soldiers, after shovel- 
ing out the filth which had been allowed to accumulate 
for I know not how long, had only removed it outside 
the door, where it remained to poison the air and cut 
off my only hope of relief. It was useless to complain ; 
so I turned into my hammock, and, covering my head 
up, tried to save myself from the deadly effluvia of that 
black hole. In justice to my readers, I cannot enter 
fully into the description of the foulness of that den, 
where I was destined to remain for five days, cut off 
from communication with my friends and abandoned 
by the representative of my government. Next morn- 
ing the general commanding visited the calaboose 
with some officers, and had the impertinence to tell 
me that he did not find any bad smell, but ordered 
the soldiers to wash the place out. This order was 
carried into effect, and rendered matters even worse, 
as, owing to the superficial manner in which the clean- 
ing was performed, it had only the effect of stirring up 
the latent stenches, and left the numerous large holes 
and inequalities filled with viscid water, which, gradu- 
ally evaporating, rendered the atmosphere of the 
dungeon most dangerous to health. When it is rc- 

30* 



354 



THE MA MB I- LAND. 



membered that the yellow fever was claiming" numbers 
of victims at this moment, the object of the Spanish 
authorities in pursuing this conduct towards me can 
easily be imagined. On the second night of my incar- 
ceration I was taken suddenly ill with symptoms of 
fever. So sudden and so severe was the attack, that I 
at once wrote to Mr. Crawford, the British Vice-Consul 
here, requesting his presence ; but that functionary 
paid not the slightest heed to my representations. He 
was even aware of my position in the foul den ; but, 
under the pretense of being refused permission, avoided 
visiting me, although he was actually in the fort and 
was informed of my position by Mr. Price, as well as 
by others. Even the officers and soldiers expressed 
disgust at my treatment ; but the representative of 
Great Britain, having his own interests to consult, did 
not care to trouble himself about my state. I was 
especially anxious that he should come and inspect 
the calaboose where I was confined ; but he took care 
not to visit me until the day before I was embarked 
for Spain, when I was in the comparatively princely 
quarters of Mr. Price. On two occasions he was in 
the Cabanas ; but, under the pretense that I was in- 
comunicado, he avoided coming to see the cala- 
boose. In all probability I should have been forced 
to make the voyage in company with sick soldiers 
and the offscourings of the Spanish population of 
Cuba had it not been for the kindness of General 
Torbert, the American Consul-General. Abandoned 
by the representative of my government, I wrote to 
General Torbert, asking him to interpose in my inter- 
est with the Captain-General, and obtain permission 
for me to make the voyage as a saloon-passenger at 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. 



355 



my own expense. After some difficulty, this request 
was acceded to, and I was spared many sufferings, 
mental and physical. 

On the evening of the 28th of May I was released 
from the black hole and conducted to the boveda, or 
casemate, occupied by Mr. Price. It was a pleasant 
change, and enabled me to pass the last hours of my 
stay in Cuba in the pleasant companionship of my 
friend. Mr. Price had learned that the government 
at Madrid had given the Captain-General peremptoiy 
orders to send me to Spain, and had succeeded in con- 
veying the information to me in a small note, which 
he bribed one of the soldiers to give to me secretly. 
The man did so very cleverly, although the sergeant 
of the guard was present whenever any one came into 
my cell, to prevent any communication with the outer 
world. 

A few days later the Havana authorities handed me 
over to the captain of the Antonio Lopez, one of the 
correos or regular Spanish mail-steamers, for convey- 
ance to the Peninsula. The voyage was a bright and 
prosperous one ; and the new-found liberty I en- 
joyed, combined with the influence of the sea, quite 
restored me to health, and dissipated the gloom and 
anxiety which had weighed on me during nearly three 
months' close confinement, rendered the more trying 
by the constant dread of summary execution. 

Night had already fallen when the announcement 
of land from the lookout sent a thrill of satisfaction 
through the wave-tossed frames of some hundreds of 
passengers. There was an immediate rush on deck, 
and the numerous ante ojos that had been drawn in 
anticipation from among disordered heaps of luggage 



356 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



in the small, dark, uncomfortable camarotes of the 
steamer, were put into immediate requisition by home- 
sick wanderers, eager to catch a glimpse through the 
night gloom of the iron-bound shores of romantic 
Spain. For some days the weather had been broken 
and boisterous, exercising a depressing influence on 
the home-bound landsmen, and preventing the few 
ladies on board from appearing on deck. Although 
it was the middle of June the night was cold and raw, 
and sun and land were covered with dark fog-like 
vapors that chilled to the marrow despite warm wrap- 
pings. In the first eager impulse the damp and the 
fog and the night were forgotten, and only remem- 
bered the joy and the pleasure of arrival. 

Most of the passengers were officers, merchants, and 
soldiers, who, after many years' absence, were return- 
ing to their native land ; some with acquired wealth 
and position ; others with shattered health and maimed 
bodies, — poor victims of cruel war ; yet all were 
strongly moved when they caught sight of the few 
glimmering lights and the dark, massive shadows that 
told them we were almost within hail of La Vieja 
Espana. But even patriotism was not proof against 
the chill night air; so one by one the groups dissolved 
to reunite again in the saloon. 

There was at least one man among the company to 
whom the pleasure of reaching land again was a 
mixed one. For months a prisoner in Cuba, I had 
been placed on board the correo for conveyance to 
Spain as a prisoner of state, with the charge of treason 
hanging over me ; but in the enjoyment of the fresh 
sea-breezes, and so much liberty as can be stowed into 
a mail-steamer, all gloomy preoccupations had van- 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. 



357 



ished. Although not a good sailor I love the sea, for 
here alone can we peer without distraction into im- 
mensity. To gaze after the setting sun slowly sinking 
beyond the seemingly endless expanse of waters, and 
feel the greatness of the Creator impressed with awful 
and mysterious power upon the soul, has ever been 
to me the special charm of the ocean. Whether in 
sunlit repose, spreading out like a golden mirror, or 
lashed by the finger of God, when the spume-crowned 
waves rushing with terrific rage dash their plume- 
like crests in thunderous shock against the bulwarks 
of the storm-tossed bark, and, shattered into innu- 
merable phosphorescent scintillations, fall back into 
the sough-tomb, the sea in all its varied phases 
presents to the mind the truest idea of sublimity. 

And under the invigorating influence of the sea I 
had well-nigh forgotten that I was still a prisoner, but 
the cry of tiara suddenly recalled me to a sense of my 
position. The prospect of being consigned to a Span- 
ish prison was certainly not pleasing, and as there was 
no knowing what course might be pursued towards me 
by the government, my joy at arrival was not extreme. 

It was evening when we cast anchor in the port of 
Santander, and the crowds just issuing from the toros, 
or bull-ring, poured out on the quays to gaze wonder- 
ingly at the ship from the Pearl Island, the Queen of 
the Antilles. The passengers went on shore, and I 
was left alone to mope about the ship in utter wretch- 
edness, waiting the orders of the authorities as to what 
disposition should be made of me. Next morning I 
was taken on shore by two officers, and the governor 
of the town, a bald major with a shiny black wig, 
sent me to the carcel nacional, or common jail. It 



353 



THE MAMBI-LAND. 



was crowded with Carlist prisoners, murderers, thieves, 
and all that scum which finds its way sooner or later 
to the presidio. In view of my being sufficiently rich 
to pay thirty reales a month for a separate apartment 
I was not put among the crowd of common prisoners, 
but conducted to a gallery which ran round the court- 
yard, and gave ingress to the second story of cells. 
The stench of the place was horrible, and there rose a 
veritable exhalation from the seething mass of un- 
washed and unkempt humanity below. Fortunately, 
my stay in this place was very short, as, owing to 
some cause, the jailer became suddenly very civil, 
and conducted me to the sala de audiencia, or court 
of examination,, and informed me that I would be 
allowed to occupy it during my stay. As the sala in- 
cluded two large rooms and a long corridor, all pretty 
well ventilated, the change was an agreeable one, and 
during the fortnight I was detained in the carcel I 
was treated with as much consideration as the rules 
of a prison would allow. 

It was owing principally to the representations made 
in my behalf by the government of the United States 
that Senor Castelar had ordered me to Spain ; but, un- 
fortunately, when I arrived the Spanish orator was no 
longer Minister of Ultramar, and the new ministers 
were so much engaged endeavoring to give stability 
to the government that they had little time to acquaint 
themselves with the facts in my case. However, the 
representations of General Sickles, the United States 
Minister, induced the government to order my re- 
moval to Madrid, where I was permitted to go at 
liberty under the guarantee of the United States 
Legation. A few months later Senor Castelar, who 

P 



PRISON EXPERIENCE. 



359 



was benevolently disposed in my regard, came into 
power, and General Sickles, for some reasons unknown 
to me, withdrew the guarantee of the Legation, and 
surrendered me to Senor Carvajal, the then Minister 
of State. Fortunately, the Spanish government did 
not think well of taking any further steps in my 
case, and I was permitted to leave Spain without any 
difficulties being thrown in my way. 

So ended my expedition to the Mambi-Land. 



FINIS. 



M IS W 



